Navigation systems in the Aegean sea in antiquity

The islands of Aegean Sea, territorial units isolated by the barrier of the waters, but with close ties with the nearby mainland shores, constitute a unity as a geographical concept. The great sea routes pass through the world of the Aegean. Landing places and supply points for shipping in times both of the burgeoning of trade and of the outbreak of war, the ports and anchorages of the islands od the Aegean carrying warriors, merchandise, pilgrims, crusaders, rediscovery and antiquarianism have succeeded one another and have gone on side by side. When traveling in the Mediterranean and the Aegean, summer winds were the main factor determining the speed and the route. These winds blowing from the north were called breezes by ethereal or popular sayings. When the ship took these winds back, it could travel comfortably wherever it wanted in the direction of the wind, but the return journey would not take place in the same comfort. The reason for this is that most of the return journey was to do against the winds that wind in the opposite direction. In this context, they had to determine their course according to the direction and timing of the winds. The location, direction and distance are the three main elements of navigation. The aim is to designate the route that the craft will travel, including the direction it is cruising, including the distance. Various navigation devices have been used to determine the route.