Welcome one and all to episode 1 of “Giants Helped Me Do It”, the podcast covering the innovations and inventions of the past from cultures all aorund the world. I must admit, this is a new journey for me, with my foray into the podcast world, and as a result, I thought it only apt, that my first topic is one about big journeys. Though, I must say, my journey was not as dangerous for the body as it was for the ancient Polynesian and Vikings I will be talking about this time. Regardless, the innovations and methods used to get around and explore all those centuries are remarkable and definitely worthy of taking a closer look at.
Firstly, the Polynesians, below you can find an example of the type of ships they would have been travelling in:
and another example of a smaller vessel:
(Taken at the Humbolt Forum in Berlin)
And here is a shot of one of the best preserved Viking ships that I took during my trip a few years ago to Oslo Norway.
And here is a closer look at the carving still visible and preserved after all those years.
How can you see something like this and not be absolutely fascinated with the whole process? I know I can’t. I suppose I made that obvious when I made the episode covering this.
Finally, here is an example of what is theorised by some to be the type of rock used as a sunstone:
These rocks are from my own personal collection. I have tried the method described in the episode to try and see the image change described. It was subtle but possible to detect. I fear that the crystals I have are too small, and with a bigger crystal, one might see the birefrigence much better. Regardless, here is a video showing them in action:
Anyway, aside from the topic, as nervous as I might be to get a podcast up and running, I found a lot of fun in learning to use the software and going through the creative process. For example,
I had a lot of fun picking the theme tune out. There were some tough contenders, but after some painstaking deliberations, I decided to go with this one. I had a lot of fun recording this one and getting used to the new recording system. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the full episode!
As I mentioned in the preview last week, I am still working on getting all the fineries for the email so that it looks pretty for you all, but for now, the important thing is the content, so I hope you enjoy it.
There is plenty more coming. The first early access chapter is coming next week for the paid subscribers, and other little bits and bobs throughout the month, with a new free podcast episode in the first week of November. So, if you haven’t yet, consider subscribing, so you can follow all the action.
Thanks, as always, for your support.
Daniel
PS: If you want to check out the episode from Hightailing Through History that I mention in the intro, it can heard here:
Episode 60 - The Bone Wars / History of Wayfinding
Sources for podcast:
Ropars, Guy, u. a. „A Depolarizer as a Possible Precise Sunstone for Viking Navigation by Polarized Skylight“. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Bd. 468, Nr. 2139, März 2012, S. 671–84. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2011.0369.
Yirka, Bob und Phys.org. Computer Simulations Show Viking’s Sunstone to Be Very Accurate. https://phys.org/news/2018-04-simulations-viking-sunstone-accurate.html. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
The Sunstone: Secret of Viking Navigation. www.youtube.com,
Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
Vermillion, Stephanie. Polynesia’s Master Voyagers Who Navigate by Nature. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210726-polynesias-master-voyagers-who-navigate-by-nature. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
Wayfinding. https://archive.hokulea.com/navigate/wayfind.html. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
Wayfinders : Polynesian History and Origin. https://www.pbs.org/wayfinders/polynesian2.html. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
Wayfinding and Navigation | manoa.hawaii.edu/ExploringOurFluidEarth. https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/physical/navigation-and-transportation/wayfinding-and-navigation. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
„How Did Polynesian Wayfinders Navigate the Pacific Ocean? - Alan Tamayose and Shantell De Silva“. TED-Ed, https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-polynesian-wayfinders-navigate-the-pacific-ocean-alan-tamayose-and-shantell-de-silva. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
Pacific Voyaging and Discovery. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/encounters/polynesian-voyaging. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
Magazine, Maui. „Polynesian Explorers | Polynesian Star Compass“. Maui No Ka Oi Magazine, 1. März 2014, https://www.mauimagazine.net/wayfinders/.
Cook, James. „Captain Cook’s Journal During His First Voyage Round the World Made in H. M. Bark ‚Endeavour‘, 1768-71“. Https://Www.Gutenberg.Org/Files/8106/8106-h/8106-h.Htm, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8106/pg8106-images.html.utf8. Zugegriffen 24. July 2023.
Bernáth, Balázs, u. a. „How Could the Viking Sun Compass Be Used with Sunstones before and after Sunset? Twilight Board as a New Interpretation of the Uunartoq Artefact Fragment“. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Bd. 470, Nr. 2166, Juni 2014, S. 20130787. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2013.0787.
Faulkes, Anthony, Übersetzer. RAUÐÚLFS ÞÁTTR. VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH, 2011, http://www.vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Raudulfs%20thattr.%20text.pdf.
Music credit:
"Return of the Mummy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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