The Trefoil of the World

I continue to make facelifts to my uploaded papers. This time, it is a chapter from Unit II of my second manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". 

You can view it https://www.academia.edu/40051105/The_Trefoil_of_the_World

The article is presented to the discussion on the Academia site in the nearest three weeks. You are invited to take part in. I would appreciate any comment and would do my best to reply. 

The paper describes the evolution of the mappae mundi, the "world maps" of the medieval imagination. Across the centuries, this medium had upgraded from simple schemes depicting the tripartite inhabited earth to more elaborate designs, which incorporated the Ptolemy vision or reflected current geographic discoveries and married with sea charts. The medieval world of the sacred and profane hangs in front of our eyes.

Meanwhile, I finished estimating materials concerning my paper about medieval shipping. The article will compare a galley and a sailing ship. This is the first chapter of a new series that is intended for my third manuscript. Now I need to compare my draft version with the new stuff unearthed and partially developed. 

Self-presentation

 Happy New Year to you all!

May it be the year of recovery from the coronavirus. 

Following the advice from the Writer's Digest, I will start this entry with the self-presentation.

Name Michael Baizerman. This is my real name retained for the literary market.

Skills: nonfiction writer, amateur historian, Internet researcher, and blogger. 

Social Media Platform: Facebook, Twitter

URL: https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

This is the website where I download my research papers. I have currently stopped adding new articles since I would like to use a new Discussions section on the site to present my previous works for discussions, boost my readership and converse with colleagues. Meanwhile, I keep this avenue open for chapters of my second manuscript. 

http://mikebis.blogspot.com/

This is my blog, a writer's diary, where I share what is happening behind the scenes. 

Accomplishments:

I have self-published my first book, "Dawn and Sunset: A Tale of the Oldest Cities in the Near East". It tells the story of the earliest urban communities on earth that mushroomed in Mesopotamia throughout the fourth and third millennia BCE. The study of Sumerian society teaches a lesson about our times as the roots of modern civilization have grown from that setting. I research various aspects of the ancient city-state: its religion, administration, bureaucracy, agriculture, arts & crafts, foreign trade, laws, social classes, and warfare.

I have completed the manuscript of my second book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". It is about the acceptance of the bizarre Eastern mentality by the Latin West during the Late Middle Ages. Many chapters are already available on the website and open for discussion. For example, this week I expect my readers to comment on my paper, "How Long Spans the Inhabited World". 

I have started working on the second part of my third project, about the need to find a maritime route from Europe to India during the fifteenth century. I have a gut feeling that the work will cover more than one volume. 

Interests: writing, reading, exploring, watching. 

In a nutshell: I am an amateur historian and Internet researcher who specializes in writing nonfiction history.