Syracusia (, syrakousía, literally "of Syracuse") was an ancient Greeks ship sometimes claimed to be the largest transport ship of antiquity.
General characteristics
Syracusia was designed by
Archimedes and built around 240 BC by Archias of
Corinth on the orders of
Hieron II of Syracuse. The historian Moschion of Phaselis said that
Syracusia could carry a cargo of some 1600 to 1800 tons and a capacity of 1,942 passengers.
She reputedly bore more than 200 soldiers, as well as a
catapult. She sailed only once to berth in
Alexandria, where she was later given to Ptolemy (Ptolemaios) III Euergetes of
Egypt and renamed
Alexandreia (, literally "of
Alexandria").
A discussion of this ship, as well as the complete text of Athenaeus (a late 2nd-century Greek writer who quotes a detailed description of Syracusia from Moschion, an earlier, now lost, writer) is in Casson's Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World.
Of particular interest in the discussion of the construction of the ship is the detailed description of the efforts taken to protect the hull from biofouling, including coating it with horsehair and pitch.
Appearance
Not much is known about the outside appearance of the ship, but Athenaeus describes that the top deck, which was wider than the rest of the ship, was supported by beautifully crafted wooden Atlases instead of simply wooden columns.
Additionally, the top deck featured eight towers, equipped with two archers and four fully armed men.
On the bow of the ship was a raised platform for fighting, on top of which was a giant catapult.
20 rows of oars would also have been visible from the outside, and possibly a promenade lined with flowers and tents for use by the passengers.
Amenities
In terms of passenger comfort,
Syracusia would be the equivalent of
RMS Titanic compared to other ships of the era.
[ Superships (2007). Ancient Discoveries. The History Channel. Season 3, episode 4.] Her innovative design and sheer size allowed for the creation of various recreational spaces aboard, including a garden and an indoor bath room with hot water.
The lower levels of the ship were reserved for the crew and the soldiers on board, while the upper levels were for the use of passengers.
According to Athenaeus, the ship was beautifully decorated using materials such as
ivory and
marble, while all public spaces were floored with mosaics depicting the entire story of the
Iliad.
The ship was also equipped with a
library, a drawing room and a
for use by the passengers, as well as a small temple dedicated to
Aphrodite.
Legacy
The eventual fate of
Syracusia is unknown.
Ptolemy's son sought to outdo
Syracusia. He ordered the construction of a huge warship, the
Tessarakonteres: 420 feet long, and bearing more than 4,000 oarsmen and 2,850 soldiers.
However, according to
Plutarch, it was almost immobile.
British classical scholar Armand D'Angour has argued that the construction of the Syracusia by Archimedes at the behest of Hieron II underlies the story told by
Vitruvius that Hieron asked Archimedes to assess the metal content of a fabricated gold crown, leading to the latter's discovery of the buoyancy principle associated with his name.
See also
-
Baochuan
-
Caligula's Giant Ship
-
Isis
-
Jong
-
Nemi ships
-
List of world's largest wooden ships
-
Timeline of largest passenger ships
Further reading
-
Fik Meijer, André Wegener Sleeswyk: "On the Construction of the 'Syracusia' (Athenaeus V. 207 A-B)", The Classical Quarterly, New Series, Vol. 46, No. 2 (1996), pp. 575–578
-
Jean MacIntosh Turfa, Alwin Steinmayer Jr: "The Syracusia as a Giant Cargo Vessel", The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Vol. 28, No. 2 (1999), pp. 105–125
External links
