03-26-2014, 02:04 PM
Quote:By comparison, the 'first rate ship' of the medieval era apparently had a much greater carrying capacity - around 600 men! Which is strange, as we know that the Roman could build some pretty big vessels. I wondered if this might suggest something about the decking arrangements - the medieval ship maybe had multiple internal decks, suitable for carrying passengers, whereas the ancient cargo carrier was effectively just a big deep hull space.
I think the normal maximum freight capacity was roughly similar in antiquity and the high Middle Ages, around 1.000 tons. The maximum number of masts (three) was also the same, although medieval ships which used lateen sails aft had arguably a more balanced sail plan.
As for the number of decks, Lionel Casson (Ships and Seamanship pp. 178f.) has this to say: "The main deck on freighters of any size ran from stem to stern. Bigger ships had a lower deck, and the biggest two. Whether the lower decks were complete or partial is not known."
Stefan (Literary references to the discussed topics are always appreciated.)
