Across Anatolia on a Bicycle

with Daniel Pontillo

hosted by Chris Gratien

This episode is part of an ongoing series entitled History of Science, Ottoman or Otherwise.
 
Download the series
Podcast Feed | iTunes | Soundcloud

What does it mean to wield or possess a certain technology? What are the limits to associational claims to technical expertise or superiority? In this podcast, Daniel Pontillo considers these cultural and social dimensions of technology through a study of the travel narrative Across Asia on a Bicycle, in which two American men set out at in the heat of the late nineteenth-century bicycle craze to use their new technology to tame the rugged Asian geography. In our discussion, we focus on the first leg of their trip, which was carried out in Ottoman Anatolia (click here for a complete PDF from GoogleBooks)


Daniel Pontillo is a doctoral student at University of Rochester studying brain and cognitive sciences (Linkedin)
Chris Gratien is a doctoral candidate at Georgetown University researching the social and environmental history of the Ottoman Empire and the modern Middle East. (see academia.edu)

Episode No. 137
Release date: 27 December 2013
Location: University of Rochester, NY
Editing and Production by Chris Gratien
Images from "Across Asia on a Bicycle" digitized by GoogleBooks

Citation: "Across Anatolia on a Bicycle," Daniel Pontillo and Chris Gratien, Ottoman History Podcast, No. 137 (27 December 2013) http://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2013/12/technology-ottoman-empire.html.

IMAGES

Thomas Gaskell Allen, Jr. and William Lewis Sachtleben with their bicycles in western China
Original caption simply reads "a contrast"

An evening in a village

An Ottoman Zaptieh carries bicycle across river on horseback

This bread, which they refer to with the Turkish "ekmek," was not all that appealing for the American travelers, but they found it extremely convenient as they slipped it over their heads so they could eat it readily while on their bicycles.

This rider reportedly called their bicycle a "devil's carriage"

American bicyclers strike a pose with a group of curious villagers

Discussing the nuances of Islamic learning with a kadı in Sivas



Comments

Ezgi Yalcin said…
http://www.idefix.com/kitap/velosipet-ile-bir-cevelan-1900e-dogru-istanbuldan-bursaya-bisikletli-bir-gezi-ali-fuad-erden/tanim.asp?sid=IWZKRXTWT0JD46OZSYF1
Candan Badem said…
For a story of the American cyclist Frank Lenz who was lost in 1892 around Eleşkirt, I recommend David Herlihy's book The Lost Cyclist. The Untold Story of Frank Lenz's Ill-Fated Around-the-World Journey. (Mainstream Publishing 2010). Sachtleben came to Turkey to search for Lenz.

Ottoman History Podcast is a noncommerical website intended for educational use. Anyone is welcome to use and reproduce our content with proper attribution under the terms of noncommercial fair use within the classroom setting or on other educational websites. All third-party content is used either with express permission or under the terms of fair use. Our page and podcasts contain no advertising and our website receives no revenue. All donations received are used solely for the purposes of covering our expenses. Unauthorized commercial use of our material is strictly prohibited, as it violates not only our noncommercial commitment but also the rights of third-party content owners.

We make efforts to completely cite all secondary sources employed in the making of our episodes and properly attribute third-party content such as images from the web. If you feel that your material has been improperly used or incorrectly attributed on our site, please do not hesitate to contact us.