One of the most immediate effects that 16th-century oceanic voyages had on the European population was the emergence of new kinds of questions. Long-distance expeditions exposed sailors to completely new information and, apart from that, it also enabled many of them to confront theories and descriptions which had been hitherto known only through ancient authorities.
One of the many examples of these questions was the reason for the name of the Red Sea. João de Castro mentioned in his rutter that Pliny provided two explanations: the first was that it used to be called Erythraean Sea after a king called Erythras – a name akin to the classical Greek term for red; the second explanation was that the sun in that sea was so strong, that it made it turn reddish. João de Castro added that some people also held that its name “was due to the color of the sand and the earth that went through it”; while others claimed that the water itself was red.
In 1513, Afonso de Albuquerque organized an expedition to the south of the Red Sea, going as far as the Dahlak Islands. The Portuguese governor wrote to King Manuel I claiming to have seen big red spots on the water, right at the strait of Aden. According to Albuquerque, some of his sailors enquired Muslim pilots about such phenomenon and were told that the earth on the mainland was red. Strong winds would bring dust into the sea, and then heavy currents would generate the spots. The riddle was solved – or so it seemed... (to be continued) [Inês Bénard]
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