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Age of Discovery: Difference between revisions
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'''Age of Discovery ''' | '''Age of Discovery''' | ||
* [[category:Spice Trade]] | * [[category:Spice Trade]] | ||
* [[category:Age of Discovery]] | * [[category:Age of Discovery]] | ||
== Sailing & exploration technologies == | |||
=== magnetic compass === | |||
* a magnetized needle or, originally, "spoon," that can freely rotate on a hard surface, pin, or in water | |||
** its magnetic tip will rotate to point north or south | |||
* a compass is used for navigation | |||
** as it can indicate a boat's direction without knowing the time of day or in poor weather or the dark | |||
* invented in China, the compass spread to the middle east and Europe by the 13th century | |||
** the first Chinese compasses were made with "lodestone" | |||
*** = naturally magnetized iron stone | |||
* iron needles were later used by magnetizing their point with a lodestone | |||
** the needle could be suspended in water, and it would turn to point to one of the earths' magnetic poles (north or south) | |||
* it is possible that the Europeans had a distinct invention of the compass | |||
** either way, they adapted the "dry compass" | |||
** = suspending the magnetized needle on a pin so that it could rotate freely | |||
* click EXPAND for a late 12th century description of an early compass by Alexander Neckam, an Englishman who worked with magnetics: | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"> | |||
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The sailors, moreover, as they sail over the sea, when in cloudy whether they can no longer profit by the light of the sun, or when the world is wrapped up in the darkness of the shades of night, and they are ignorant to what point of the compass their ship's course is directed, they touch the magnet with a needle, which (the needle) is whirled round in a circle until, when its motion ceases, its point looks direct to the north. | |||
</pre> | |||
from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_compass#Medieval_Europe History of the compass (wikipedia)] | |||
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</div> | |||
* use of the compass greatly facilitated long-distance ocean travel | |||
** and allowed for creation of accurate maps | |||
== | === Scurvy === | ||
* a deadly condition resulting from a lack of Vitamin C | |||
* on long voyages, European ships generally carried for food: | |||
** salted pork or other meats, called "jerky" | |||
** salted hard bread, called "hardtack" | |||
** these foods are "cured" by salt or cooking/ drying / smoking in order to remain edible over long voyages | |||
*** salt "cures" food by removing water and destroying bacteria | |||
*** cooking preserves bread by removing bacteria and water | |||
* scurvy was accepted as an unavoidable condition sailors would face on long distance voyages | |||
* however, tropical fruits and their juices, especially lemon and lime, have a long "shelf life" and have high concentrations of Vitamin C | |||
* by the time of Vasco de Gama's expedition around Africa, Portuguese explorers were aware of the ability of citrus to prevent scurvy | |||
** nevertheless, de Gama and other explorers lost over half and sometimes almost all of their crew (sailors) to scurvy | |||
** Europeans continued to think that scurvy was a "digestive" disease and ignored the curative effects of citrus | |||
*** and not until the late 1750s did the British Royal Navy adopt the practice of giving sailor Vitamin C-rich lemon juice | |||
* in 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier's crew was afflicted by scurvy during the first European winter stay in Canada | |||
** local Indians saved them by introducing them to brewed pine needles / pine buds | |||
*** that Native Americans had traditionally used as a source of Vitamin C | |||
** Cartier brought this technology back to France, and it was adopted by other explorers | |||
** see [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_beer Spruce beer] | |||
=== | == Portugal == | ||
* | |||
=== Technologies & cultural experience in sailing === | |||
* facing the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal had a deep maritime history and culture | |||
** | |||
* cod fishing | |||
** salt | ** salt | ||
*** as ballast on outgoing expeditions and used as a preservative for the cod catch | *** as ballast on outgoing expeditions and used as a preservative for the cod catch | ||
* see | * see | ||
** [[ | ** [<nowiki/>[[wikipedia:Bacalhau|Bacalhau (portuguese salted cod, wiki)]]] | ||
** [[https://portoalities.com/en/why-are-portuguese-obsessed-with-cod/ Why are Portuguese Obsessed with Cod (portoalities.com)]] | ** [[https://portoalities.com/en/why-are-portuguese-obsessed-with-cod/ Why are Portuguese Obsessed with Cod (portoalities.com)]] | ||
** lanteen sails | ** lanteen sails | ||
| Line 19: | Line 66: | ||
**** which were serviced from Arab/ Indian Ocean sails << to confirm | **** which were serviced from Arab/ Indian Ocean sails << to confirm | ||
=== Henry the Navigator === | === People & explorers === | ||
=== Bartolomeu Dias === | |||
==== Henry the Navigator ==== | |||
==== Bartolomeu Dias ==== | |||
=== King Manuel I === | ==== King Manuel I ==== | ||
* Background | * Background | ||
* [[Spice Trade]] | * [[Spice Trade]] | ||
| Line 29: | Line 78: | ||
*** Source: [https://historicalleys.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-east-india-house-casa-da-india.html Historic Alleys blogspot] | *** Source: [https://historicalleys.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-east-india-house-casa-da-india.html Historic Alleys blogspot] | ||
=== Bartalemu | ==== Bartalemu ==== | ||
= | ==== Vasco de Gama ==== | ||
=== Vasco de Gama === | |||
* | |||
* Portugal sources: | * Portugal sources: | ||
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livro_das_Armadas | https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livro_das_Armadas | ||