According to archaeologists, the era of shipbuilding dates back 5 thousand years ago, when ancient people began to explore the seas and oceans. Ancient Roman and ancient Greek ships were the most famous, because both powers were located in the most favorable climate region and were actively trading with neighboring countries, for which the sea lanes were most profitable.
The era of shipbuilding
Warships were built in the 15th century. BC e. in Phenicia, Egypt and Babylon in order to protect the country from pirates and campaigns in the territory of neighboring states. Both merchant and military vessels improved over time, their maneuverability and combat capabilities, size and displacement increased.
The main driving force of the Greek ships was rowing, because they were controlled by the muscular power of the slaves who were sitting on the oars. Although the sail was installed on military vessels, it was raised only with a fair wind.
The designs of ancient Greek ships were borrowed from the Phoenicians. Shipbuilders paid maximum attention to ships for military operations at sea, so they had to be sturdy and maneuverable. Interestingly, until the beginning of the 5th century, Mediterranean craftsmen began building the ship with cladding, and only then moved on to the internal structure.
Varieties and materials
Ancient Greek ships were built in two types:
- trade - broader and clumsy, but able to carry heavy and bulky goods;
- military - light and maneuverable, equipped with rowers with oars and a sail, in front of each there was a ram for attacking enemy ships during the battle.
The ancient Greeks covered the hull with animal skin, and the lining was of various thicknesses: it was thicker near the keel and at the height of the deck. The belts were fastened with paired seams, and they were attached to the body with wooden pins or bronze nails. Later, in the construction of military and commercial ancient Greek ships began to use wooden beech cladding. To protect the deck from sweeping waves, a bulwark was made from canvas; in the lower part of the ship, up to the waterline, sheathing was made from lead sheets. Then the body was painted and covered with grease.
All wooden parts were made from various types of wood, based on strength and functions. The frames were made from strong acacia, the masts (devices for sail) from pine.
The sails were hung either rectangular or trapezoidal. In the beginning, only straight rails were used, which could only be caught by a tailwind. In addition, warships sailed in coastal waters and more often used rowing power. There was also a small sail - an artemon hanging on an inclined mast on the bow of the vessel. Before the start of the battle, the sail must be folded so as not to interfere, and the masts were removed.
Ancient Greek ships: famous names
The vessels were set in motion by oars, which rowers sitting on both sides of the sides worked. They were recruited from among the slaves or for payment for the period of hostilities.
Depending on the number of oars, there are 2 types of ancient Greek ships:
- triacontor - has 30 rowers and oars;
- Pentecontor - a 50-ship ship (25 on each side), most often a deck.
Over time, pentecontors began to build on the deck, which served as protection from the sun and missile throwing enemy shells. However, in a narrow space it was impossible to place many soldiers, therefore, for their transportation, they built wider, but slower ships, on which it was possible to transport not only people, but also horses, war chariots and supplies.
The speed of such ships was about 17 km / h. The rowing efficiency was low, therefore, to increase the speed of movement, the ships were made narrow and long: the width of the pentecontor was only 4 m with a length of 32 m. Rowers could only sit in one row at a distance of 1 m from a neighbor, which is why the increase in overall the speed of the ship was proportional to its length.
However, ancient technology did not allow the creation of ships longer than 40 m. To increase speed, ships began to be built with two, three or more rows of oars.
In accordance with the number of rows of rowers, the names of the ancient Greek ships were divided into: unirems, biremes, triremes, quadroremes, etc., which can also be called "polyremes" (multi-tiered).
Unirema
The simplest form of Greek unirems or Moners (Greek Μονερις), according to Homer, formed the basis of the Greek fleet during the siege of the city of Troy. Ancient Unireme - an ancient Greek military ship with one pair of oars, or rather, one tier, when rowers sit in a row. The displacement of such a deckless vessel was up to 50 tons, the equipment consisted of 12 pairs of oars, 2 rowers sat on each. A rectangular sail was used only with tailwind.
The first reconnaissance ships were built, which could only be carried out by a fast ship capable of developing great speed and maneuverability. Military power was not initially used for it.
Gradually, shipbuilders began to increase the size of the unire, adding to it a battle ram, which was used as a giant metal spear up to 10 m long. It was located in the underwater part of the vessel and was the main weapon.
According to the researchers, the unireme is considered the most maneuverable and mobile rowing vessel in the ancient era. Such ships were used in Phenicia, Carthage, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, as well as during subsequent wars in the Mediterranean Sea.
There were also some varieties of moners: actuary and libourne, small maneuverable vessels used for communications and reconnaissance operations, and the delivery of light loads. The design difference was that the rowers sat on 2-3 balconies, which helped to row independently. The sides were high, there was a ram, but not combat, but decorative.
Greek bireme
Diers or biremes - rowing ancient Greek warships, which the Phoenicians began to build in 9-7 centuries. BC e. for swimming in the mediterranean sea. They differ in double tiers of oars and are widely distributed in Egypt, Greece and Phenicia. With the same length of the hull, an additional row of rowers, sitting as if in 2 floors, provided great speed and power. In order to make the bireme more stable, the pad with rowers (crinoline) was lowered lower to the level of the hull.
The main weapon of the warship of the Greeks is a ram, which was made of metal, most often bronze. It was located in the bow of the protruding part of the ship and during the battle had to penetrate enemy ships. A ram in the shape of a trident or a boar’s head was attached to a keel beam.
Sailing weapons were used only in fair winds. The stern of the ship (acrostol) was decorative and specially bent, in shape it resembled the tail of a scorpion.
If necessary, some types of ships were equipped with an additional row of oars and then they were already called triremes. Management was carried out using 2 large steering oars placed aft. Rowing oars were 25 pairs.
Trireme or trireme
Scientists call Corinth the birthplace of ancient Greek triremes (Greek εριήρεις), where later Greek armored warships, cataphracts, were also created. The displacement of such vessels reached 230 tons, length - 45 m, the number of crew members - up to 200 people.
The ancient Greek ship of Trier already had 3 tiers of oars, for the latter, additional holes were cut in the side of the vessel, which, if necessary, were closed with special blinds. The length of the oars was the same and amounted to 4.5 m. The most powerful rowers “transits” sat in the top row, their work was generously paid, therefore they considered themselves privileged. For them, a narrow platform was installed on the upper deck, where they sat along the edge.
In the middle row sat zygites, and in the lower row - thalamites, the rhythm of the rowers was set by the flutist sitting on the stern - threopores. All of them were subordinate to their boss - the gortator, and the ship was commanded by the triarch. The total number of oars on such a warship could reach 170. However, all 3 rows were involved only during the fighting.
The crew of the triera also increased: during the battle it was about 200 people, among whom were not only rowing slaves and warriors, but also sailors who could control the sail. The vessel was 40 m long and 6 m wide. The combat deck was continuous, and a hold was located below it. The commander had his own wheelhouse aft.
The number of masts and sails on such a ship also increased. The underwater ram served as a continuation of the keel and reached 3 m, was equipped with an iron tip to destroy the side of the enemy ship. In addition, a metal beam was placed above the ram, with the help of which enemy oars broke in a collision of ships.
For several centuries, biremes and triremes remained the most popular military ancient Greek ships. According to historical data, in 482 BC. e. navy in Athens with a population of 250 thousand people. consisted of nearly 200 triremes. In peacetime, they were also used to transport vehicles, people and horses.
Polireme and penthers
Depending on what the ancient Greek ships were called (unirems, biremes, triremes, etc.), one can judge how many rows of rowers were located on them. According to historical data, the Greeks went further in the development of shipbuilding and built a warship in Syracuse, which had 5 rows of oars, a penther. They were located 30 on each side of the ship, each rowing oar was moved by 5 rowers, there were 300 in total on board. To control the sail, 25-30 sailors were added to the crew. The ship could take on board 120 soldiers with full armament.
Later, a tesarakontra was created - the ancient ancestor of modern linear warships, a floating fortress with a displacement of 3 thousand tons. It was equipped with battle towers in which archers were hiding, and a high upper deck served as protection against enemy arrows.
The weapons of warships included slings, ballistae and catapults mounted on board. They were used to throw arrows, stones or incendiary mixtures of sulfur, resin and bitumen.
Features and tactics of the battle of the Greek ships
The most important tactical technique that was widely used on ancient Greek ships in naval battles is the use of boarding, in which ships converge, ram each other, and interlock. Then comes the time of hand-to-hand combat between warriors.
The Greek fleet, as it developed, already consisted entirely of military tries equipped with stern iron rams aft.
The advantages of such ships can be judged from the historical fact of the victory of the Greeks in the battle with the Persians near Salamis, which took place in 480 BC. e. The preponderance in the number of ships was on the Persian side (1200 versus 380), however, swift Greek triremes quickly defeated a clear line of enemy ships. Their rams broke the sides and oars of the enemies, then quickly did a roundabout maneuver and pierced the stern.
In addition to the usual fodder, other types of rams were also used:
- "Dolphin" used with 6-5 Art. BC e., - a very heavy load made in the form of an animal of the same name, which was suspended by a cable on a beam standing perpendicular to the side of the ship; in the event of a collision, he pierced the deck and even the bottom of the vessel with his weight;
- Corvus - a double-rope boarding bridge mounted on the bow and hinged, had a sharp spur made of metal in the shape of a raven's beak, when lowering the board of an enemy vessel, the corvus clung tightly to the deck, and attacking warriors climbed over the boarding bridge and entered into melee battle
- harpagi - boarding hooks that hooked an enemy ship.
On each trireme there were hoplites in battle - warriors with rather heavy weapons, who had leather shields for protection, as well as a detachment of archers and riflemen from a sling. A possible victory in battles depended on their ability to conduct hand-to-hand combat and shooting.
Greek merchant ship
It was possible to recreate the appearance of ancient merchant ships by reconstructing the remains found in the waters of Kyrenia, a port in Cyprus. The corps found by archaeologists turned out to be flattened under the water column at a depth of 30 m.
The length of the ancient Greek merchant ship was 14.3 m, the width was 4.3 m. The radiocarbon analysis of the wooden hull and the bronze coins found in it showed that the ship was almost 2,300 years old. The keel was made of solid oak wood, the frames were made of black acacia, the lining was made of red beech and linden. The mast, yards and oars are made of Allep spruce.
The only sail on merchant ships played a more significant role and was used for movement, while rowers were smaller in comparison with a warship. There was no deck; there were loads inside. To prevent waves from sweeping into the hull, the sides were built up using a grid made of thick rods. Skin was then pulled on top of it.
The main feature of merchant ships was their spaciousness and reliability, but the speed was secondary. According to the annals, such a ship could sail up to 40 km per day, which was quite far away at that time.
The names of the ancient Greek ships that were used to transport goods:
- Lemba - a single-masted ship, a quadrangular sail fixed to the yoke, sometimes set an additional small sail for maneuvers;
- skeletons - had a hold with a large capacity, in the 5th century. BC e. the Greeks even used a special compartment for transporting horses;
- Kerkurs - light sailing ships, invented in Cyprus, and then became popular with Greek merchants, design feature: the hull interior was divided into a hold and 2 tweendecks. In the Middle Ages, such a device was adopted by Arab merchants, and then Europeans, who called the ship "karakka" or "caravel".
Their designs improved quite quickly: they put 2 masts, used a bowsprit to the bow, increased the volume of the holds and the carrying capacity. So with a 25 meter length, a merchant ship could carry 800-1000 tons of cargo. When raising sails on the masts, ships could sail even with a crosswind. In sailing, a merchant ship loaded ballast from sand.
Reconstruction of ancient ships
The most famous name of the ancient Greek ship, which is mentioned in myths, is "Argo", the legendary ship of the Argonauts, who made a trip to Colchis, located on the Black Sea. In 1984, a group of like-minded people, led by the English scientist and writer Tim Severin, made the 1,500-mile transition from Greece to Georgia on an exact copy of an ancient ship and proved the real possibility of events described in myths.
One of the famous modern attempts to recreate an ancient life-size ship occurred in Greece. The construction of the Olympia trireme lasted almost 2 years in Piraeus and was completed in July 1987. He was financed by the Greek Navy and the English banker F. Welch. Now the ship belongs to the naval forces of Greece.
Olympia is the only fully functional ship with a crew of 200 people. Its length is 37 m, width 5.5 m, equipped with oars and sails. Over the past years, the ship has been tested several times, during which a team of athletes of 170 people was able to accelerate it to a speed of 17 km / h, which shows a photo of the ancient Greek ship "Olympia".
Since 2004, it has been exhibited as a museum exhibit for all comers in a dry dock at Paleon Faliron, near Athens. For lovers of old sailing ships, Olympia is an excellent example of the skill of shipbuilders and demonstrates the swimming abilities, perfection and beauty of ancient Greek ships.