ancient ports
Ancient civilizations that engaged in maritime trade tended to develop seaports. One of the oldest known artificial harbors in the world is located at Wadi al-Yarf on the Red Sea. It appears to have been used as a port since the middle of the Fourth Dynasty, around 2500 BC. C., and for more than a thousand years. Rock inscriptions show that the site was still in operation around 1450 BC. C. It owed its success to its proximity to the administrative capital of Memphis, which was connected by a 120-kilometer-long road.[8].
Until then, it was believed that the first ports built were those of the Phoenicians with the ports of Sidon and Tire in the century BC. C. These cities were at their peak and represented important business centers[9] until the attacks of the sea peoples. These ports allowed trade, but also the departure of colonists and the support of naval units.
Other ancient ports include the port of Canton or Guangzhou, during the Chinese Qin dynasty, and Canopus "Canopus (Egypt)"), the main Egyptian port for Greek trade before the founding of Alexandria. In ancient Greece, the port of Piraeus in Athens was the base of the Athenian fleet that played a crucial role in the Battle of Salamis against the Persians in 480 BC. c.
The next step in the development of ports is the construction of Alexandria in Egypt, around the 1st century. The Heptastadion dam") is built there, to separate the port into two accessible parts according to the origin of the wind.[10] It is also the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the first of the lighthouses. Thus, ports developed along the Mediterranean, and especially the port of Piraeus in Athens and that of Ostia in Rome. The ports of Syracuse[11] and that of Carthage can also be mentioned. The construction techniques of the time mainly used local rocks, which required a lot of labor, but offered extremely durable constructions; current marine archeology uses it widely. The use of docks in semicircular arches by the Romans can also be observed, which allow better resistance to waves.
Ports in the Middle Ages and Modern Age
Despite the destruction after the end of the Roman Empire, ports developed on the shores of the Mediterranean and progressively on the Atlantic coast as an expansion of trade. The Italian ports (Genoa, Venice...) gained importance; The techniques remained substantially the same.
Today, many of these ancient places no longer exist or function as modern ports. Even in more recent times, ports sometimes go unused. Rye (East Sussex) "Rye (East Sussex)"), was an important English port in the Middle Ages, but the coastline changed and is now 3.2 km from the sea, while the ports of Ravenspurn and Dunwich have been lost to marine erosion.
Ports in the Contemporary Age
It was not until the industrial revolution that the appearance of ports clearly changed: specialization between commercial, fishing and military ports appeared and concrete allowed other types of construction. In addition to warehouses there are railway lines and cranes. The docks expanded and professions specialized.
While early ports tended to be simple ports, modern ports tend towards multimodal distribution, with transport connections with sea, river, canal, rail and air routes. Successful ports optimize access to an active hinterland. Ideally, a harbor will grant ships easy navigation, and provide shelter from the wind and waves. Ports are often in estuaries, where the water can be shallow and may need regular dredging. Deepwater ports are less common, but can handle larger ships such as oil tankers, Panamaxes, and container ships. Other businesses, such as logistics centers, warehouses and freight forwarders, and other processing facilities, find it advantageous to locate within or near a port. Modern ports will have specialized cargo handling equipment "Cargo (transport)"), such as cranes "Crane (machine)"), stackers and forklifts.
Ports usually have specialized functions: some tend to primarily serve passenger ferries and cruise ships (Cruise (voyage)); some specialize in container traffic or general cargo; and some ports play an important military role for their nation's navy. Some third world countries and small islands such as Ascension and Saint Helena continue to have limited port facilities, requiring ships to anchor while their cargo and passengers come ashore by barge or launch respectively.
Although modern ships tend to have stern thrusters, many port authorities still require ships to use a pilot and tugboats to maneuver large ships into tight spaces. For example, ships approaching the Belgian port of Antwerp, an inland port on the Scheldt River, are required to use Dutch pilots when navigating the part of the estuary that belongs to the Netherlands.
Ports with international traffic have customs facilities.
Today, by far the greatest growth in port development is in Asia, the continent with the world's largest and busiest ports, such as Shanghai, Singapore, Shenzhen, Ningbo-Zhoushan and Hong Kong. In recent years, the top ten ports in the world in occupation, by total number of units equivalent to twenty-foot containers "TEU (measurement unit)") (TEU), are Asian.[12].