![]() ![]() Key word: Maritime technology, lateen-sail, square-sail, Mediterraneanīetween 19 the University of Southampton conducted excavations on the site of Quseir al-Qadim (western shores of the Red Sea), a place that had not been examined since the excavations by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago ended in 1982. This emphasises the role that economic factors played in shaping the selection and adoption of maritime technology in the ancient Mediterranean. However, an explanation for the radical change in maritime technology that the lateen sail represents can be offered. The invention and adoption of the lateen sail did not result in any of the technological improvements that are widely accepted in the current academic literature. Analysis of the potential performance of ancient Mediterranean sailing vessels, detailed investigation into rigging and sail-handling practices in conjunction with wider contextual analysis allow the development of Mediterranean sailing rigs to be reconsidered. ![]() Recently completed research by the author offers an alternative interpretation of the available evidence. Such improvements would have an obvious impact on the merchant shipping plying the waters of the Mediterranean cargoes could be delivered faster, more easily and with less reliance on favourable winds to determine trade-routes and sailing times. In particular, the development of the former sail-plan is often credited as providing Mediterranean mariners with an improved sailing rig better upwind performance, increased manoeuvrability and higher maximum speed. The invention of the lateen sail is the most commonly cited example, although the ancient world also witnessed the development of the sprit-sail. Amongst the most obvious developments to the maritime technology of the ancient Mediterranean was the invention and development of the fore-and-aft sailing rig.
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