Archive Results For: Antiquity
What Were Sails Made Of?
From the study of ancient wrecks, using modern archaeological techniques including carbon14 dating, a great deal is now known about hulls and ship’s carpentry. However, apart from pictures, very little is known in detail about sails, since practically nothing has been preserved. Forms of propulsion for boats gradually evolved from manpower to wind assisted, as […] Read More
Filed under: Prehistory | Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Archaeology | Shipbuilding & Design
Note: The Marsala Punic Ship – the shape to be reported
After years of neglect the plans of the Marsala Punic ship has to be relofted, and this describes the methods used. Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Shipbuilding & Design
Xerxes’ Fleet in Magnesia: the Anchorage at Sepias
The article provides a solution to the difficulties interpreting Herodotus’s description of the mooring of Xerxes’ fleet at Sepias in 480 BC. An understanding of Mediterranean mooring practices, stern to shore, and familiarity with the waters around Cape Artemision enables a description of the mooring of the Persian fleet to be described. This corresponds with […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity
Subjects include: Archaeology | Battles & Tactics | Ship Handling & Seamanship
The Eleusis Museum Trireme and the Greek Trireme
A comparison of a marble plaque in the Eleusius Museum, the Lenormant relief, some fourth century coins, the Aquila relief and the Dal Pozzo drawing illustrates development in Greek trireme design. The abandonment of the external struts supporting the outrigger for the upper rowers can be seen as well as the relative position on the […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Art & Music | Navies | Ship Handling & Seamanship | Shipbuilding & Design | Weapons
Boat Timbers from El-Lisht: A New Method of Ancient Egyptian Hull Construction. Preliminary Report
In 1984, a third type of a planked Egyptian boat was uncovered at a pyramid site at Lisht, constructed differently from the Dashur or Cheops boats. The timbers, about twenty of them, are either acacia or tamarind. The novel fastenings consist of mortice-and-tenon joints, possibly pegged and glued, together with woven webbed lashings. The timbers […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Archaeology | Historic Vessels, Museums & Restoration | Merchant Marines | Ship Models & Figureheads | Shipbuilding & Design
The English Esnecca in Northern European Sources
The article uses many sources to illustrate the variety of names given to northern European boats. The term ‘esnecca’ is used to describe many different vessels, and these are described. The evolution of ship design from the long narrow ‘snake’ into boader, higher vessels is discussed. Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | High Middle Ages | Other (location)
Subjects include: Shipbuilding & Design
The Second Symposium on Ship Construction in Antiquity
The symposium on ship construction in antiquity brought together a variety of subjects for discussion, and allowed visits to the Kyrenia II replica, as well as the Trieres reconstruction, of which colour photographs are included. Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Other (location)
Subjects include: Shipbuilding & Design
Note: Spray Deflectors
An examination of the Punic warship of BC250 assembled at Marsala has revealed a belt of simulated clincher planking which would have achieved the effect of deflecting spray. Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Shipbuilding & Design
The Marsala Punic Ship
In the reproduced letter Lucien Basch informs the Society of the recent dismantling of the excavated and preserved Third Century Punic Ship which had been on public display in Marsala, Sicily. He condemned the breaking up of the artefact, which had been re-constructed in a similar manner to the Viking Ships at the Roskilde Museum. […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Archaeology | Historic Vessels, Museums & Restoration
Wine and Maritime History
From the onset this article states that the intention is to detail the history wine has played with regard to sailors and the navy. It is a very generic article that looks at the application of wine from antiquity, the Odyssey, through the nineteen century. This article while entertaining will not aid researchers who are […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity | Medieval | Early Modern | Other (Nineteenth C) | Other (Eighteenth C) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Manpower & Life at Sea | Miscellaneous | Navies