In addition to the use of the sun and stars for navigational purposes, as argued above, other celestial signs were available to aid Bronze Age mariners. Wind direction could be matched to known regional or local winds to ascertain general orientation, and wind speed might portend heavy seas or oncoming gales. Darkening skies and clouds were also important indicators of impending conditions at sea. The sudden disengagement of low-lying banks of clouds from the summits of islands and coastal mountains may portend strong winds or gales (USNHO 1952: 12). On Crete, the summer meltemi is often heralded by “a fleecy bank of white clouds" enveloping the summit of Psiloriti and neighboring peaks (USNHO 1951: 116), and further west the appearance of “long black, sausageshaped" clouds over Cape Drepanon in winter is a sure sign of the onset of a heavy southeastern gale, accompanied by rough seas and a long, heavy swell (USNHO 1951: 139). Sometimes, these massive banks of clouds pointed toward land masses that were not yet visible.
Smoke from fires of diverse origins might also come into view before land was sighted. Forest fires of natural origin occur periodically, as part of a healthy cycle of vegetative death and regeneration. Anthropogenic fires associated with settlement activities included cooking and heating at the domestic hearth, burning in agricultural fields and pastoral complexes, and industrial activities such as pottery firing and metal working. Accidental fires at settlements were also common, set off by lightning or the careless handling of an oil lamp. Signaling by fire or smoke or even the use of rudimentary lighthouses set up on cairns was possible in the Bronze Age but there is no evidence of formal lighthouses in Greece until the late Classical period (Mark 2005: 160; Morton 2001: 212). The use of fire for everyday activities was inevitable and must have made it difficult for any coastal settlement to conceal itself behind a ridge or in a hidden valley.
World History
