CALINISAN MELVIN F.

FEBRUARY 19, 2018

BSED 2202 SCI 205- SCIENCE, TECHNOLGY AND SOCIETY

THE INVENTION FROOM STONE AGE, MIDDLE AGE UP TO PRESENT

Stone age Boats

Modern humans evolved in Africa. However, our ancestors didn’t stick around and soon spread
around the globe. Boats helped in this. However, we weren’t the first hominin species to leave
Africa. Homo erectus and others left before us. Did they also use boats during their migration?
This has been debated for a long time. It would imply a huge degree of manufacturing skill,
planning, and knowledge about the world. Might it require more intelligence than we think these
earlier species had?

There is some circumstantial evidence in favour of it. For instance, some of the earliest European
fossils found are in Spain. A leap straight from Africa to Spain would require boats, given the
ocean in the way Or maybe there are fossils from a Eastern land route we just haven’t found yet.

However, a growing body of evidence from Greek islands is providing more solid evidence for
pre-human sea voyages. Stone tools from Crete, Cyprus, and other Mediterranean islands seem
to predate the emergence of humans. This would be seemingly conclusive proof pre-human
species were using boats.
Medieval Boats

There were vessels and boats of all kinds and for all sorts of purposes during the Middle Ages.
There were small fishing boats as well as large merchant ships.The boats were rowed or sailed.
Some ships had only one mast with one sail, but during the 15th century, vessels were built
which measured 50 metres, with up to four masts with many sails on each mast.

Different kinds of ships from many countries sailed on the Baltic Sea. The larger vessels, the
cogs and the hulks sailed across the open sea to the ports. With a compass and with favourable
winds, they could sail straight across the Baltic Sea to and from Lübeck, Kalmar, Visby and
Riga. If the wind dropped, or if there were storms, the captain and his crew had to stay in the
harbour and wait for better weather. They had to be patient - the most important thing was to get
the valuable cargo safely across the sea.

Between the towns and settlements on the coast, smaller vessels were used. Land-marks, such as
mountains or buildings, cairns or beacons, showed the way along the coast. To avoid running
aground, the depth of the water was measured by a lead, a cord with a weight at the end.

The harbours in the towns were busy, crowded places. Merchants and skippers made contracts
about voyages to foreign ports. Goods was taken to the waiting ships. Sailors said goodbye to
their wives and children who they would not see for months. The sailors had a difficult and
sometimes dangerous job. Many people depended on them to transport valuable goods safely
across the seas.
Modern Boats

Today, enclosed lifeboats are the preferred lifeboats fitted on modern merchant ships because of
their superior protection against the elements (especially heat, cold and rough seas).
Generally each merchant ship has one lifeboat fitted on the port side and one on the starboard
side, so that a lifeboat is always available even if the ship is listing to one side. Lifeboat capacity
is specified and listed on the ship's "safety equipment certificate". Further details of the boats are
found in "Form E" of this certificate.
Ships fitted with "free fall" lifeboats are an exception – they have only one boat, at the stern.