Archive Results For: Antiquity
The Battle of Marathon and the Persian Navy
In the summer of 490 bc the Athenians secured their freedom and that of the European Greeks by defeating a Persian army in the battle of Marathon. Herodotus gives a sketchy description of the battle without any material information on the size of the respective armies but states that the Persians arrived at Marathon with […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics | Logistics | Navies
Vegetius and Taccola: Was medieval writing on war at sea of any practical use?
For much of the medieval period little time was devoted to the discussion of how war should be waged at sea. Discussion on war was often based on the writings of Flavius Vegetius Renatus, from the late fourth or early fifth century. His short treatise De re militari is based on the works of earlier […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics | Strategy & Diplomacy | Weapons
The Case of the Roman Transom Bow
The discovery of a Roman boat with a transom end during the construction of a Metro line in Naples has reopened the discussion about whether this end is the bow or the stern of the boat. This issue was debated through the twentieth century and still continues today. Discussion so far has mainly been focused […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Archaeology | Shipbuilding & Design
Did Vessels Beach in the Ancient Mediterranean? An assessment of the textual and visual evidence
The practice of beaching seafaring ships in the ancient Mediterranean is a widely accepted phenomenon. This paper examines the evidence for beaching and outlines the various methods, tools and technology employed. While habitual beaching for seafaring vessels is testi ed for the Geometric Period Aegean, for later periods the evidence is primarily negative. With the […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Ship Handling & Seamanship
Note: A Close Examination of an Ancient Naval Artefact
An identification of an ancient bronze artefact as a secondary ram. Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics | Weapons
Caesar’s crossing of the Adriatic Countered by a Winter Blockade During the Roman Civil War
During the Roman Civil War that broke out in 49 bc between Julius Caesar and Pompey naval operations played a critical role. In order to confront Pompey’s army quickly in the Balkans, a major amphibious crossing of the Adriatic was undertaken by Caesar’s army. The text of Caesar’s Civil War and other sources, including Lucan’s […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Archaeology | Battles & Tactics | Navies
Note: Tyrrhenian Naval Iconography During the First Ice Age: the origin of Etruscan ships
Starting from a critical analysis of some of the most important evidence concerning Etruscan maritime activities, the evolutionary line linking the ninth-century BC Villanovan clay models to the sixth-century BC figures of Etruscan ships is re-evaluated. Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Archaeology | Art & Music | Ship Models & Figureheads
The Ships from Herodium
Ships are depicted in two nautical scenes in the unique wall paintings discovered in the Royal Room next to the private small theatre of Herod the Great at Herodium near Jerusalem. The walls of the Royal Room were finely adorned with wall paintings and stucco decorations, dated to about 20–15 BC. The first scene, on […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Other (location)
Subjects include: Art & Music
The Voyage of Leucippe and Clitophon: a New Interpretation
As told in a novel of the second century ad, the couple Leucippe and Clitophon boarded a ship sailing from Beirut to Alexandria. The ship, apparently a 20-metre-long coaster, set out on a SW course, driven by an easterly wind. On the third day the wind shifted abruptly to the south-west, and the sea rose. […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Art & Music | Science & Exploration
Note: Cooking aboard Merchant Ships in the Classical World
This detailed account of cooking facilities used aboard merchant ships in the classical world uses archeological as well as literary evidence to support the argument that food was both carried and prepared on board during overnight passages in the Mediterranean. Read More
Filed under: Popular Topics | Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Archaeology | Manpower & Life at Sea