File:The book of Ser Marco Polo - the Venetian concerning the kingdoms and marvels of the East (1903) (14582788800).jpg

Identifier: bookofsermarcopo00polo (find matches)
Title: The book of Ser Marco Polo : the Venetian concerning the kingdoms and marvels of the East
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Polo, Marco, 1254-1323? Cordier, Henri, 1849-1925 Yule, Amy Frances Yule, Henry, Sir, 1820-1889
Subjects: Polo, Marco, 1254-1323? Yule, Henry, Sir, 1820-1889 Genghis Khan, 1162-1227 Polo family Inscriptions, Chinese Early maps Mongols Voyages and travels
Publisher: London : John Murray
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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worked onthe gunnels. The Siena fresco (see p. 33) appears to showthem attached by loops and pins, which is the usual practice inboats of the Mediterranean now. In the cut from D.Tintoretto (p. 3J) the groups of oars protrude through regularports in the bulwarks, but this probably represents the use of alater day. In any case the oars of each bench must haveworked in very close proximity. Sanudo states the length ofthe galleys of his time (1300-1320) as 117 feet. This wasdoubtless length of keel, for that is specified ( da ruoda aruoda) in other Venetian measurements, but the whole oarspace could scarcely have been so much, and with twenty-eightbenches to a side there could not have been more than 4 feet * See the woodcuts opposite and at p. jy ; also Pantaa, p. 46 (who is here, how-ever, speaking of the great-oared galleys), and Corone/li, i. 140. t Casoniy p. 324. He obtains these particulars from a manuscript work of the16th century by Cristoforo Canale. ON MEDIAEVAL WAR-GALLEYS 3S
Text Appearing After Image:
», 3b INTRODUCTION gunnel-space to each bench. And as one of the objects of thegrouping of the oars was to allow room between the benches forthe action of cross-bowmen, &c, it is plain that the rowlockspace for the three oars must have been very much compressed.* The rowers were divided into three classes, with graduatedpay. The highest class, who pulled the poop or stroke oars,were called Portolati; those at the bow, called Prodzeri, formedthe second class.*)* Some elucidation of the arrangements that we have tried todescribe will be found in our cuts. That at p. 35 is from a draw-ing, by the aid of a very imperfect photograph, of part of one ofthe frescoes of Spinello Aretini in the Municipal Palace atSiena, representing a victory of the Venetians over the EmperorFrederick Barbarossas fleet, commanded by his son Otho, in 1176;but no doubt the galleys, &c, are of the artists own age, the * Signor Casoni (p. 324) expresses his belief that no galley of the 14th centuryhad more

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