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In lugnet.loc.pt, Bruce Schlickbernd writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Pedro Silva writes:
>
> > Examples of Arab influence are all but scarce around here. And I'd even risk
> > saying that the New World was colonized by europeans thanks to an arab
> > invention: the lateen sail, said so because of the use the Southern European
> > nations made of it. And it is arguable that England or France would send
> > expeditions due West if Spain and Portugal hadn't done it first...
>
>
> Well noted on the arab influences, but the lateen sail was supplanted by the
> square-rigged sail for transatlantic voyages fairly quickly, though it
> remained popular in the Mediterranean for many centuries. Columbus' caravel
> Nina was converted to a square rig, for example, though much early Spanish
> and Portugese exploration was with lateen-rigged caravels. There is some
> evidence that the Romans may have used lateen sails, though what I have seen
> is far from conclusive.
All true... but I still believe that the concept behind the lateen sail
(triangle + rotation around mast) allowed travelling against the wind,
unlike square sails - better for back-winds (no pun intended).
And I'm not sure if ALL the sails in Niña were square... notice the front
and back, maybe there is one small triangle. But I honestly don't know, the
last time I saw a replica was in '92.
Besides, the hull of "Caravela", and square-rigged "Nau" and "Galeão" were
all of adapted arab design (maybe "dhow"?). Only later the English
introduced lighter hulls for their own ships, and sunk the Armada.
> Let's not forget 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc.
Maybe the more important is the introduction of ZERO all by itself... even
though the indians had developed it first, it were the arabs that brought it
to us. AND Zero allows binary language, hence computing (a digital process),
hence... LUGNET!
So it is interesting to notice that the simple fact of us talking here today
is due to arab influence on western culture... ;-)
Pedro
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: What we can do... (my 2 cents)
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| (...) Well noted on the arab influences, but the lateen sail was supplanted by the square-rigged sail for transatlantic voyages fairly quickly, though it remained popular in the Mediterranean for many centuries. Columbus' caravel Nina was converted (...) (24 years ago, 27-Sep-01, to lugnet.loc.pt)
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