Ships

**Ships and Navigation**


From basic galleys to full rigged ships, shipbuilding has been an art since Medieval times and earlier. Based on ancient Roman and Greek traditions and started by a few men, shipbuilding quickly became an advanced enterprise. The first sign of shipbuilding started when early Romans built oar powered ships called Galleys. The early Romans used Galleys for trade and travel as well as war and battle. The first Medieval advance in shipbuilding was when the triangular, fore-and-aft sail began to replace the old square, cross-rigged sail. the new triangular sail let ships change direction easily and move faster. The new idea spread quickly throughout the Mediterranean. Another important idea from the middle ages in shipbuilding was the "skeleton first" idea, using this technique, the ship would be built from the inside to the outside shell as opposed to building the outer shell of the ship first and then making the inside. This technique saved much time and money and led to better, stronger ships.

Navigation was an important skill in the Middle Ages and connected many people through trade routes throughout the Mediterranean world. Navigation on the sea began when people on coastal areas such as Greece were cut off from fertile land and took to the sea for travel and resources. Navigation on the Indian ocean is said to have connected China with the near East before the age of Christianity. Navigation on the Red sea is equally old and harder to navigate on due to the tough currents, winds, and hidden reef.

The use of the compass and other nautical devices made navigation easier in the Middle Ages. The compass was passed to Europe from the Arabs who took the idea when they conquered China in the 1100's. By about 1275 the compass was a big part of sea navigation and was mounted along the axis of every ship so sailors could know where they were and where they were heading. Navigation charts and maps of the Mediterranean called "portolano charts" showed different regions of the Mediterranean drawn to different scales. These charts were not very accurate but the knowledge learned from medieval navigators paved the way for explorers in the future.

Works Cited
 * “Miniatura Isotta.” Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Sept. 2009. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. .
 * “Navigation.” Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. William Chester Jordan. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1996. 170-171. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
 * “Sips and Shipbuliding.” The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. William Chester Jordan. Vol. 4. New York: Charkes Scribner’s Sons, 1996. 67-69. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.

CS