Michael Baizerman Author

  This is a slightly modified version of my paper. It belongs to Unit IV of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East".  Unit IV follows the footsteps of Alexander the Macedon, to be more exact, it traces the birth and development of medieval Alexander legend. The invincible warrior was inscribed with the erection of the impassable barrier, sometimes called the wall or the gate, blocking the mountain passage. This long-term roadblock will be breached by unlawful tribes ushering in the Last Days.  The current paper focuses on the early development of the legend. It has just been offered for Discussions and you are welcome to participate. The myth of the Caspian Gates was modeled on Alexander the Macedon's pursuit of his rival, the Persian emperor. Due to the nodding acquaintance with Asian geography, the storytellers switched the venue from the Iranian Gates to the Caucasus. The Macedonian military genius was considered the right person to erect an impenetrabl...

  By Konrad Grünenberg - http://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/id/7061, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19285559 A Venetian three-masted galley delivers pilgrims to the Holy Land, 1486/7 This week I have been collecting data about merchant galleys in the Mediterranean for chapter 3 of my new project.  I found an old article by W.B. Watson, The Structure of the Florentine galley trade with Flanders and England in the 15th century. Revue belge de Philologue et d'Histoire, 1961, 39-4. It speaks about the trips of Florentine galleys to north-western Europe during the 16th century. The author claims that there was a trade disbalance between incoming merchandise and local products.  I reread F.C. Lane's book, "Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Renaissance". (Borodino Books, 2018), especially the chapter devoted to merchant galleys with an extensive citation from Fabri's account about the pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  I looked through E. Bra...