Sailing Directions of the North Atlantic Viking Age (from about the year 860 to 1400)
As long as man has ventured to go to sea, sailing directions have existed. Man's survival depended upon knowing the best fishing and hunting places and how to find these were secrets, told only to family or friends. Later, sailing directions covered areas in the world where trade or new settlem...
| Published in: | Journal of Navigation |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1997
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0373463300023584 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0373463300023584 |
| Summary: | As long as man has ventured to go to sea, sailing directions have existed. Man's survival depended upon knowing the best fishing and hunting places and how to find these were secrets, told only to family or friends. Later, sailing directions covered areas in the world where trade or new settlements had begun and, as early as 500 years B.C., some of these sailing directions were written down. They covered the Mediterranean Sea and part of western Europe and they were called PERIPLUS meaning ‘sailing around’. They contained almost the same information as sailing directions today, namely: harbours, anchorages, currents, possibilities for fresh water, provisions and other supplies. |
|---|