February 2023 Update

 I still need help with updating articles for Discussions on my Academia page. The support team says  this is a huge issue for their engineering gang to tackle. They have been doing it for almost two months. My exposure to a wider audience went down, though I already have over 9 K views. My last contribution is chapter 28, William of Rubruck, of my second book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East." https://www.academia.edu/96081693/William_of_Rubruck

I will upload my last chapter in about two weeks and attach a content page. 

I agreed on a new zoom lecture based on Unit IV of my book. Part 2 of the cycle covers the legend of the Iron Gates, proverbially constructed by Alexander of Macedon to repel invaders from beyond the Caucasus. I will elaborate on steppe pastoralists and explain how medieval literati replaced unknown tribes with the familiar horrifying image of Gog-Magog. 

I continue collecting and developing extracts for the third chapter of my project about Late War Galleys. I drafted four main parts: 

a.    The Monster galley: Vettor Fausto’s quinquereme

b.  Rowing a scaloccio

c.     “Galley slaves”

d.    Gallea alla ponentina

    I want to add a few items: Dimensions,    Cost, Life span, Sailing season, Coastal piloting and speed, Water rations, Seaworthiness, Purpose-built galleys, and probably Arsenals. 

I intend to use part of this material for the current chapter and the rest to enrich other sections,

for example, Medieval War Galleys. 

I recently read a fascinating book: James Beresford, The Ancient Sailing Season. (Brill: LEIDEN & BOSTON, 2013). Its relevance to my research comes from climate studies showing remarkable resemblance in weather throughout the last three thousand years. The author's comments on currents, tides, and winds in different areas of the Mediterranean are also  critical. He debunks the myth of the "closed sea" and elaborates on weather patterns in various regions. 

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