Phoenician Oared Ships Part I

Abstract

Greek trieres have been well documented but little is known of those of other states of antiquity. Here Basch argues that Phoenician galleys evolved differently from those of Greece. Five points differentiate the Phoenician vessel: protective shields along its sides; an upper deck; a widened hull with ‘encorbellements’; an absence of wales and the shape of the bows. From this he deduces that the Phoenician vessel was a ‘wide galley’ derived from a ‘round ship’. His evidence suggests Greek galleys were lightly built and more fragile than their heavier and more solidly-hulled Phoenician

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Filed under: Antiquity | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Shipbuilding & Design