Mediterranean vessel of the 9th century

[aukepalmhof]

Is given by Stanley Gibbons Collect Ships on stamps as a “knarr” which is wrong she is a vessel from the Mediterranean of the 9th century.
The history of shipbuilding in the Mediterranean between the third century A.D. onward till the 9th century is mostly lost.
Then a new type of vessel appears (as seen on stamp) with a hull somewhat similar to the Cretan and Greek trading vessels. She was carvel built with a bow raked forward and a sternpost curved inward.
She was steered by two steering oars. Her single mast raked slightly and was stepped forward of the amidships, she had a peculiar hook-shaped masthead and carried a new type of sail, a lateen sail a triangular sail laced to a long sloping yard which was controlled by blocks and tackles which enabled the ship to sail against the wind. For the first time in history in the Mediterranean a real sailing vessel appears without any oars except for steering.
The cargo vessel on the stamp is from the end of the 9th century. Tonnage and dimensions not known by me.
Kampuchea (Laos) 1988 80c sg736, scott?
Source: http://sailhistory.com Sailing Ships and Sailing Craft by George Goldsmith-Carter.