We have Air Travel and Weather Vanes to talk about. To a lesser degree, but Flags could also be involved here.
Today, this Weather Vane device is considered to be more of a decoration, than that of a necessity. The speed of wind could mater, of course, but its direction... Well, who cares about the wind direction anyways. We care about things like temperature and precipitation, for the most part. Some, with medical conditions might even go as far as being concerned about the air pressure.
Who else might care? Probably somebody related to sea travel, or air travel. But why would we need these Weather Vanes in the urban environment. The reason I'm asking these questions lies within the images below. Please feel free to reference zoomable images I'm using in this article.
The above images allegedly pertain to 1665, and can be found here. In reality there are hundreds more similar images, and nothing besides architecture really stands out. At first, I thought we had christian crosses up on top. When I zoomed in, they ended up being Weather Vanes.
The Weather Vanes could of course be just a simple decorative accent. At the same time we can not be explaining everything with decorations, rituals and religion. The Weather Vane is a device , which is supposed to serve a specific purpose: show the direction of the wind.
Apart from being decorations, what could be the purpose of the Weather Vanes mounted so high in the... 17th Century? One would need a set of binoculars to see what the reading is. Besides, why would they care about the wind direction at that height? There are no roads up there, and people only walk on the ground. So, why bother installing them that high? Put your Weather Vanes close to the ground, where they could somewhat matter.
Yep, that is exactly what I suggest at this point. The Weather Vanes were not meant for decorative purposes. They were meant to show the wind direction to those who needed it at that height. To the airships, that is... and prior to the 17th century. For some food for thought you can read this 1880s, 1890s wikipedia Mystery Airship article. Or this one here.
AnchoringWell, and for the last "crazy" suggestion I will offer the Stonehenge-like objects. I think there could be some anchoring possibilities there. As in attaching one's airship like you would a boat.
KD Summary: In my opinion the Weather Vanes mounted on top of the older, or "ancient" buildings had practical, rather than decorative purposes. To be exact, it was to show the direction of the wind to the pilots of the ancient airships. I understand that it probably sounds way too bananas crazy for some. Yet, if there was a practical purpose for a Weather Vane mounted 150 feet above the ground level, that would be my answer.
Any thoughts?
Weather Vanes
A weather vane (wind vane, weathercock) is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word vane comes from the Old English word fana meaning "flag".Today, this Weather Vane device is considered to be more of a decoration, than that of a necessity. The speed of wind could mater, of course, but its direction... Well, who cares about the wind direction anyways. We care about things like temperature and precipitation, for the most part. Some, with medical conditions might even go as far as being concerned about the air pressure.
Who else might care? Probably somebody related to sea travel, or air travel. But why would we need these Weather Vanes in the urban environment. The reason I'm asking these questions lies within the images below. Please feel free to reference zoomable images I'm using in this article.
The above images allegedly pertain to 1665, and can be found here. In reality there are hundreds more similar images, and nothing besides architecture really stands out. At first, I thought we had christian crosses up on top. When I zoomed in, they ended up being Weather Vanes.
Apart from being decorations, what could be the purpose of the Weather Vanes mounted so high in the... 17th Century? One would need a set of binoculars to see what the reading is. Besides, why would they care about the wind direction at that height? There are no roads up there, and people only walk on the ground. So, why bother installing them that high? Put your Weather Vanes close to the ground, where they could somewhat matter.
Air Travel
Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting, airplanes, jets, or anything else that can sustain flight.Yep, that is exactly what I suggest at this point. The Weather Vanes were not meant for decorative purposes. They were meant to show the wind direction to those who needed it at that height. To the airships, that is... and prior to the 17th century. For some food for thought you can read this 1880s, 1890s wikipedia Mystery Airship article. Or this one here.
Anchoring
Any thoughts?