Horseboat
Transportation combination: getting a horse to power a boat
![Photo of Monty the horseboat horse via Michael Weir at Unsplash.](/content/images/size/w1460/2021/07/horseboat-2.jpg)
The book I'm working on is set in a river valley civilization, and the protagonist is traveling upstream from one city to another, so I had to do a little research into what travel method would make the most sense for her.
Fun Facts
- Canals allow beasts of burden to pull 50x as much weight as they could pull in a traditional cart on a road.
- In the 1600s, travel by horseboat was widely considered reliable, comfortable and cheap.
- A horseboat pulled along a canal towpath can go about 7 km/hr, faster than walking and smoother than a coach.
- Railroads rendered horseboats largely obsolete, but some still exist as tourist attractions.
- Bridges built over horseboat canals needed to be smooth and curved in order to avoid snagging towlines.
No Stop, Only Go
Because it is very difficult to stop a narrowboat loaded with cargo, canals built for horseboating often had strapping posts for boatmen to wrap towlines to slow down the boats. [Read More]
Horse Paddle
In addition to towing narrowboats up and down canals, horses could be used to power the paddle boats that operated as ferries, the horses either circling a post and or walking a treadmill. [Read More]
Upkeep Upriver
Maintenance of canals is required for functional horseboating, including the cutting back of vegetation and dredging of relevant canals. [Read More]
Side Paddles
The Romans may have had ships yoking animals to wheels that moved paddles on the sides of boats in lieu of rowers, tho there's little hard evidence. [Read More]
Note: There are a couple of affiliate links & codes scattered around, but these always come from links I was already recommending and usually I share them because they benefit you too (i.e. getting you extra time on trials).
🎓 Recordkeeping
Cloth records, syllabic scripts, and bone calendars.
![🎓 Recordkeeping](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/01/Eleanor_a_linen_book_filled_with_dried_rosemary_and_pressed_wor_15a10594-00b0-4420-848e-305599544b6e.png)
🎓 Feces
Antiseptic poop, agricultural poop, & the surprising value of eating poop.
![🎓 Feces](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/01/Eleanor_a_dung_beetle_fantasy_desert_3ed70622-b776-47d0-a81b-50d7962214f6.png)
🎓 Cleaning
Quick facts about historical cleaning methods from around the world, from lotus leaves to bronze knives.
![a small group cleaning out a midden pit via MidJourney AI](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/01/Eleanor_an_ancient_midden_pit_being_cleaned_up_by_a_worker_4e0d8d56-6367-4feb-9814-4f13a3366873.png)