Cross the river, a convenient place for ford - for today's resident of a metropolis or just a city dweller these words do not speak anything special. Bridges, underpasses, subways - in our century, there are enough ways to conveniently cross the river. And a couple of centuries ago in Russia, a good and convenient ford across the river was extremely important for trade.
Why do you need a ford
Despite the fact that most of the trade routes passed through rivers and seas (for example, the famous route "from the Vikings to the Greeks"), land trade also existed from time immemorial and occupied a niche local, one might say, regional. Take vegetables from the village to the town or from one village to another. Buying cheaply at the fair and selling it in the surrounding villages is quite common at that time.
Imagine an ordinary shopping caravan - dozens of clumsy carts, twice as many horses, a dozen people. As a rule, even a full-flowing stream made crossing almost impossible. Of course, bridges were erected somewhere, in some places people were transported on antediluvian ferries, but their number was immeasurably less than what was required for a safe passage. That is why ford is the best ancient way of crossing without material investments.
Wade - both good and bad
What is ford? This is the place where the river is shallow, giving the person, animal or equipment the opportunity to cross to the other side of the river without using additional buildings or equipment.
Of course, not only traders, travelers and warriors understood that ford was a lively and important place. Robbers of various stripes often ambushed and robbed people passing by. They already knew that this ford is the only place for crossing the river for the next 50-100 versts.
Interesting ways to cross without ford
Of course, human thought is inventive, and many simple and elegant solutions were invented for crossing over water obstacles:
- Rafts. A few logs that are knocked together or interconnected - and voila! Antediluvian ferry ready. Strengthen a strong rope on both sides, and the raft will not even be demolished by the current. Pros - you can transport goods and livestock, you do not need to get wet. Cons - requires labor and materials.
- Inflated or hay skins. A very interesting way of an individual crossing. The goat or sheep skin was stuffed with something light or simply inflated, stitched firmly and greased with grease for tightness. Such an "air mattress" made it possible to cross even across wide rivers. Pros - you can bring with you in advance, speed of use, minimum labor costs, ideal for a secretive crossing. Cons - suitable only for a person with a small load.
- Pole vaulting. Wade is too boring, some ingenious guys thought, after which they took a fairly long pole, scattered, and stuck its far end in the middle of the channel. Then everything happened the same way as in modern competitions in pole vaulting - either the champion, or fell into the river. Pros - you only need a long and strong stick, plus a certain amount of adventurism. Cons - most likely, the crossing will not work the first time.