ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses way in which wind can be incorporated into the modelling of sail-based maritime networks. A direct way to try to estimate the effects of varying winds on historic maritime travel has been to build replica vessels, insofar as that is possible, and sail them. More simply, in a modern pseudo-network replica, ships' captains are in control of their own travel and, to a large extent, can choose when to sail. Although our analysis is informed by Aegean MBA maritime technology, this archipelago has little Minoan significance, beyond its endpoints Rhodes and its central sites Kos and Kalymnos. The simplest pseudo-networks are simple gravity models. However, when there is wind to be considered, they are not trivial. Although our archipelago has been chosen for proof of principle, its orientation fits in with our earlier statement that the prevailing winds are from top to bottom.