Ancient Roman Ships

Back in Ancient Rome, ship building was considered an art moreover a science. The

Romans were not usually sailors, but learned how to build a sail from people they had

conquered, like the Greeks and Egyptians. The constant traffic of heavy products coming from

long distances led to the construction of these vessels that specialized in exceptional

characteristics that provided for the transportation of food supplies for Rome. Early Roman ships

had no rudders and before the medieval invention of the rudder, the ships were steered with two

oars at the back of the ship. Few documents have survived from many years ago, along with

excavated vessels, describing what the ships had looked like, and how they were built. The large

number of shipwrecks discovered around the Mediterranean demonstrates the quantity of

shipwrecks that took place and the dangers involved in traveling by sea at that time. This

verification can be dated back to the Acts of Apostle when Paul was shipwrecked on his way to

Rome. (4)

Starting from the sixth century BC., they began using the locked mortise and tenon

method. This method would connect two planks together, which was easier than the sewing

method, which consisted of sewing thick linen or animal skins together. The sails were usually

tinted brown with oak-tree bark. They also used the frame first, hull, then rest of the ship

method, which is the main building method we use today. The hull shape can either by

symmetrical or asymmetrical. With symmetrical hulls, the stern and bow were identical and with

the asymmetrical version, the bow was located at a lower height and sometimes concave. These

were added to improve the vessel’s sailing ability. Ships were built using many different

softwoods such as oak for the exterior and fir, pine, and cypress for the interior. Softwoods were
a very difficult type of wood to work with because they absorbed a high percent of water. As a

result, many sailors had to take the ships off of the water and put them into a hut overnight. (1,2)

During the seventh and fourth century BC., the main warship was invented; trireme. It

was the prime warship that had three banks of oars and a V-shaped hull and a ballast, making it

more secure. They were built with both human power and wind power causing them to be fast,

lightweight, and maneuverable. Warships had heavy spikes made out of bronze that would pierce

the side of the enemy’s ship. (1) Ships would have two wooden figures used for identification.

On the prow was the figure that represented where the name of the ship came from such as a

swan, lady or an eagle. On the stern, on top of the poop deck would be the tutela, which was the

god or talisman that protected the boat. (3)

Merchant ships were used to transport cargo at a reasonable price for long distances.

Also, they would carry agricultural goods like grain, olive oil, wine, marble, granite, copper, etc.,

all across the world. Although warships were fast and maneuverable, merchant ships were not.

There were a variety of merchant ships from vessels used for short and medium-length coastal

voyages to large merchant ships. There were also vessels used for fishing, auxiliary ships, and

others for particular functions. These diverse vessels had different names such as ponto,

cladivata, corbita, and gaulus and were named dependent upon the region. They were

distinguished and varied by their geographical origin and shape of the hull. To strengthen their

hull, they had double planking, which allowed them to transport substantial loads. These ships

used wind power, and had small triangular sails and large square sails. (2) Different than the

warships, the wind powered ships used rowers to quickly maneuver and propel the ships,

whereas merchant ships relied solely upon the sails for propulsion. (4) As the vessel size and

tonnage increased, they would add a second and even a third mast. The sails were square and
were controlled by a system called rigging. Many ships had a smaller sail that aided them in

steering the ship and that was called the supparum which was located on the bow of the ship.

The arrival of these great ships were exciting sites to see and people would gather to

watch them as they approached. They would arrive from Alexandria during the month of June

and it was a great event of importance as they awaited the grain fleet. Certain ships would be

sent ahead to announce the arrival of the big fleet. These ships were called the navae tabellariae

or herald ships, and the people of Campania would love to see them. Alexandrian ships could be

identified by their broad sails. The size of the Roman ships often took people by surprise. The

workhorses of the fleets were used for grain trade and carried over 75 tons. They would sail to

nearby Provinces to load wheat and barley. These ship owners would be contracted by the

government and made good and steady incomes as their ships went back and forth between

Rome, Sicily and Alexandria.

Medium sized ships were used for the olive oil trade and were three times the size of the

smaller ships carrying up to 165,000 tons. The size of these ships have been explored and

verified by numerous underwater ship wrecks. These medium sized ships also carried metal ores,

raw materials, spices and silk. The Roman fleet had higher tonnage vessels as well. For example,

the hull of the Madrague de Giens, that wandered off Gaul in the First Century BC, had an

estimated capacity of 440 tons and was 130 feet long. Early on in the Roman Empire, the

muriophhorio, was the largest ship afloat and could carry 550 tons. The size of these ships was

not exceeded until the Sixteenth Century. Rome saw few ships larger than these but one such

ship that Caligula built to transport an obelisk from Egypt to Rome could hold up to 1450 tons.

After this vessel sank, it was used to build the lighthouse at the port of Claudius. (4)
 Work Cited

1. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1028/roman-shipbuilding--navigation/

2. http://www.romae-vitam.com/roman-ships.html

3. https://100falcons.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/roman-ships/

4. http://eglewis.blogspot.com/2012/05/roman-merchant-ships-warhorses-of.html