ARGEMONE Wind Rose
This is a set of drawings inspired from the Compass Rose and the location of the island of Malta. The wind names of the directions NE, SE, SO and NO derived from the fact that in the first mappings of the Mediterranean area, the compass rose was depicted at the center of the Ionian Sea near the island of Malta, thus becoming the reference point to indicate the direction of winds. Vessels were originally driven from downwind, i.e. winds that came from their stern (the gaits barley arrived much later). In that position, the ships arriving from NE, came about from Greece, which included the southern coast of the Balkan and eastern Turkey, hence the name “Gregale” (or “Grecale” or “Zephyrus” or “Aquilon”) for NE-SW wind. SE ships arrived from Syria, hence the name for the “Sirocco” wind. To SW there is Libya, a name formerly used also for Tunisia and Algeria, hence the name “Libeccio” for winds from SW to NE. Finally the ships sailing from Rome came from NW (often circumnavigating Sicily rather than facing the Strait of Messina) i.e. from “Mistral” (Magistra in Latin), i.e. Rome, hence the name of the wind. In fact, even at the ‘Roman times’ “Magistra” (Principal, Main) was the way to and from Rome.
TRAMONTANE (North 0째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
GREGALE (North-East 45째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
LEVANTE (East 90째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
SIROCCO (South-East 135째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
OSTRO (South180째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
LIBECCIO (South-West 225째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
PONENTE (West 270째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
MISTRAL (North-West 315째) 420 x 297 mm ink on paper
Drawings by’Jimmy Grima Š Jonathan Grima, 2011 all rights reserved None of this content is to be reproduced in any form without a wirtten approval of the author