The music is Morisco music, found on Iberian Garden, Vol. 1 by
Altramar. The piece is Muwashshah: Mā li-l-muwallah, 1113-1198.
This music takes place at the beautiful gardens along the Guadalquiver, near Cordoba.
This is during the "convivencia" under Alfonso X (El Sabio - The Wise), the time
before Granda fell: when Christians, Moslems and Jews lived at peace with each
other. Muwashshah are songs in poetic form, with instrumental interludes in the
form of Ibn Bājja (Avempace): 1470-1520. This is Morisco art.
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Galley Forecastle and Aftcastle Integration Return
The Galley forecastle and aftcastle when present, evolved. Orginally,
the forecastle was a platform for soldiers. Before the use of cannons,
mangonels or trebuchet catepults were used on the forecastle. As gunpowder
became used, the catapults were replaced by guns or cannons. The sides of
the galleys became armed with soldiers using "ballista" (crossbows),
then small cannons. The forecastle was of Viking design, a raised tower.
The raised tower was replaced by an increasingl elaborate "castle" with
rails, the castle integrated into the gallera hull. Eventually, the castle
on a galleyass took on a round shape, offering both protection from missles
as well as a field of fire to the left, forward and to the right. Finally,
although the ship seen is not a galley, we see fully integrated fore- and
aft-castles!
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