Barefooted Envoys

 I uploaded a new chapter of my book, "The Enchanting Encounters with the East." This paper is the first part of Unit VI, The Witness in the Den. It focuses on the Catholic missions to the Far East launched during the 13th and 14th centuries. These enterprises took advantage of the new world order initiated by the Mongols. View https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

The article is available for Discussions during the nearest three weeks. You may address your remarks to my email address mikebis@yandex.com later. 

The paper has received a welcoming response from Avital Heyman, an art historian and an expert in medieval visual culture. 

I have made considerable progress with the draft paper on light galleys, covering Byzantine innovations, Latin achievements, Medieval Triremes & Centerline Rudder, Horse transports, and Purpose-built galleys. The last topic left is Displacement & Maintenance. If I don't find interesting data, I will drop it altogether. 

I am still translating materials for my Russian lecture of Unit IV of the same book, Mapping Marvels & Monsters: In the Shadow of the Iron Gate. The talk outlines multiple twists of the medieval legend of Alexander the Great and the Iron Gate and compares them against historical data. There is so much to say that I might divide the subject into two parts. 

My latest reading program included Lilia Campana's "Technical Experimentation in Ship Design during the Last Decades of the Serenissima." The author shows that the experiments with the galley design in Venice continued even through the 18th century. This evidence might be a significant contribution to my project.

Light Galleys (4)

 I have made good progress on Chapter 2. covering many issues, such as speed and watering of the crews, coastal shipping and beaching, shipworm and life expectancy, visibility, and seaworthiness. 

I am currently checking the section dealing with Byzantine innovations: full deck, dromons, and galea. Though I filtered the data from my previous search, I resolved to look for more info. The chapter  comprises 13 pages (about 5 K words) and will probably be much longer. I would like to add a section of transport galleys carrying supplies and horses. 

I have requested and received John E. Dotson's article, "Safety Regulations for galleys in mid-fourteenth century Genoa: Some thoughts on medieval risk management." The report was unavailable in my search engine, and I asked the author to send me a copy. John is the emeritus professor at Southern Illinois University. He agreed to answer my questions, and for the first time, I have a correspondent who studies the same field and can give me some guidance. I wanted to know his opinion on the life expectancy of light galleys and their cruising range. The professor admitted that the issues were slippery but gave me some hints. He also sent me two additional  articles which somehow cover the subject. 

Besides writing a chapter, I am preparing a zoom lecture for the Institute of Integration. Based on Unit IV of my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," this presentation reflects the medieval myth of the confrontation between Alexander the Great and the clans of the chaos of Gog-Magog. There is abundant data, and I may divide the discourse into two parts.