As the archaeological record and written sources suggest, night navigation was practiced to a certain extent in antiquity. Although night sailing certainly allowed to reduce the duration of voyages, it also posed a series of difficulties like, for example, drastically reduced visibility. As a result, seafarers sailing at night had to resort to alternative strategies to find their way across the sea. While a sense of the sea and the use of navigational instruments might have certainly facilitated night sailing, in the Mediterranean—since the Bronze Age—there is evidence suggesting that coastal lights were commonly used to help seafarers get their bearings at night. Accordingly, the intention of this article is to determine, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the extent to which the use of coastal lights might have facilitated night sailing in antiquity.
A LIGHT IN THE DARK The Role of Coastal Lights in Night Navigation in Antiquity
Durastante F.;
2025-01-01
Abstract
As the archaeological record and written sources suggest, night navigation was practiced to a certain extent in antiquity. Although night sailing certainly allowed to reduce the duration of voyages, it also posed a series of difficulties like, for example, drastically reduced visibility. As a result, seafarers sailing at night had to resort to alternative strategies to find their way across the sea. While a sense of the sea and the use of navigational instruments might have certainly facilitated night sailing, in the Mediterranean—since the Bronze Age—there is evidence suggesting that coastal lights were commonly used to help seafarers get their bearings at night. Accordingly, the intention of this article is to determine, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the extent to which the use of coastal lights might have facilitated night sailing in antiquity.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
