kansascity 51 public library kansas city, missouri Books will be issued only on presentation of library card. Please report lost cards and change of residence promptly. Card holders are responsible for all books, records, films, pictures or other library materials checked out on their cards. The Ancient Mariners Seafarers and Sea Fighters of the Mediterranean in Ancient Times and Sea the Seafarers Fighters of The Ancient Mariners Mediterranean in Ancient Times Lionel Casson The Macmillan Company New York LIONEL CASSON 1959 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL, INCLUDING PHOTO- COPYING, RECORDING OR BY ANY INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER. FOURTH PRINTING 1967 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 58-12437 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, NEW YORK COLLIER-MACMILLAN CANADA, LTD., TORONTO, ONTARIO PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA To My Girls viii Foreword that he could not sail the wind, and so on is ley with slaves, against utterly wrong. not have been told until now. Probably this story could properly we had the of ancient Up to a half-century or so ago only writings we can draw on the of authors to supply information. Today findings these have laid bare mari- hundreds of archaeological excavations; infinite of time civilizations hitherto unknown, yielded an variety even turned written documents, objects of trade, and up priceless from the official records of the Athens Naval Base on imperishable between some stone to a tattered fragment of a maritime contract in the last dec- obscure businessmen on fragile papyrus. Moreover, has enabled us to ade, the new science of underwater archaeology ancient wrecks. There are still in explore the actual remains of gaps there were our knowledge, but far fewer than fifty years ago. The Ancient Mariners is addressed first and foremost to the gen- that eral reader. Yet, since there is no other book in any language fence and make it useful covers the field, I have tried to straddle the ma- for scholars as well. I have given the sources of all illustrative I have included terial and citations. Though there are no footnotes, extent them. One is a two appendices that I hope will to some replace the source of selected bibliography: the books listed not only supply most of the information in the text, but enable whoever is interested detail. The other is an index of to pursue any phase in greater Greek and Latin nautical terms cross-referenced to the text; a reader find of can, by looking up these words in the large lexicons, many which have in- the passages in ancient authors supplied significant useful to those formation. I hope, too, that the index will prove of Greece or Rome in who still take pleasure in reading the literature be a block to even an the original; nautical terms can stumbling all too accomplished classicist, for the standard lexicons frequently define them in ways that are either meaninglessly vague or downright wrong. I have Many people helped me in many ways with this book; space from to acknowledge only my most important debts. A fellowship a the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, by providing for over a enabled me to precious opportunity to travel abroad year, Mediterranean harbors, to investigate the sites of scores of ancient search obscure corners of museums and come upon evidence that I Foreword ix would otherwise never have known of, and to use the unique facil- to ities of half a dozen European libraries. I took particular pains and in- secure apt and clear illustrations; a number of institutions at dividuals were of great assistance and their help is acknowledged I must mention in appropriate points in the list of plates. particular Mr. Ernest Nash of the Fototeca Unione in Rome; I owe much to his resources of the eager and fruitful cooperation and to the splendid archive he heads. A number of the chapters have benefited from the remarks of my good friends, Professor Saul Weinberg and Professor Naphtali Lewis. Chapter 13 owes much to the generous cooperation of Fernand Benoit, Director of the Museum of Archaeology at Marseilles. But far and away my greatest debt is the one I owe over the and my father. He passed a careful and critical eye language a there is phrasing of every sentence in the manuscript; as result, his comments hardly a page in the book that has not profited from and suggestions. Contents Foreword vii 1 Down to the Sea in Ships i 2 International Trade Begins 4 3 War on the Sea 37 4 Raiders and Traders 43 5 The Dawn of Maritime Exploration 58 6 Westward Ho! 66 7 The Wooden Walls 89 8 The Merchants of Athens 108 9 Beyond the Pillars of Hercules 128 10 The Age of Titans 141 11 Landlubbers to Sea Lords 157 12 East Meets West 173 Sea 13 Digging !89 14 The Pirates of Cilicia 198 XI xii Contents 15 Rome Rules the Waves 16 All Routes Lead to Rome M End and a 17 An Beginning 24O Table of Dates Selected Bibliography Glossary of Greek and Latin Nautical Terms Index Figures Page 12 Hatshepsut's fleet at Punt. 6. From A. Mariette, Deir-el-Bahari (Leipzig, 1877), pi. See pp. 13-14, 16. 19 Arrival of a fleet of Phoenician vessels in an Egyptian port. 1 - > P From Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 33 (i947) vii. See pp. 17-18, 22, 25. of the Isles. 4 Ramses Ill's fleet defeats the Northerners of the Ori- From Medinet Habu, vol. i (Publications no. 8, 1930) , ental Institute, University of Chicago, pi. 37. See pp. 33, 41. Reconstruction of the corvus. of the From H. Wallinga, The Boarding-Bridge 11. See 161, 162, Romans (Groningen, 1956), fig. pp. 164, 166. Anchor with removable stock from one of Caligula's barges. 1 Made of iron sheathed in wood. 9 second edi- From G. Ucelli, Le navi di Nemi (Rome, tion, See 197- 1950) , fig. 270. p. in Flate Reconstruction of the sailing maneuvers pictured 221 i3a. Seep. 221. Xlll xiv plates Maps Black Seas Front Endpaper ! The Mediterranean and 6~7 2 The Eastern Mediterranean 1 a Africa and Western Europe 3 Rear Endpaper 4 The Near and Far East Plates 8 (Plates i through follow page 90.) i Early Boats skiff found at Eridu in a. Clay model of a sailing (?) or B.C. southern Mesopotamia. Ca. 3500 3400 Photograph by Frank Scherschel, reproduced by courtesy Time Inc. See 2. of Life Magazine; copyright 1956 p. from southern b. Drawing of a sailboat on pottery Egypt. Ca. 2900 B.C. the Near From H. Frankfort, Studies in Early Pottery of See 2. East (London, 1924), pi. xiii-i. p. c Merchantman on a Minoan seal. Ca. 2000 B.C. The high end is the prow. vol. i From A. Evans, The Palace of Minos at Knossos, See 216. (London, 1921), p. 118, fig. 87-7. pp. 25, monster. On a Minoan seal, ca. d. Sailor fighting a sea 16OO B.C. See From Evans, Palace of Minos, vol. i, p. 698, fig. 520. p. 23. 1600 B.C. e. Galley on a Minoan seal. Ca. From Evans, Palace of Minos, vol. 2, part i (London, See 1928) , p. 243, fig. 139- PP- *5 Plates xv 2 Egyptian Seagoing Ships a. Ship of Pharaoh Sahure, ca. 2550 B.C. Model in the col- lection of the Department of Classics of New York University. See pp. 15, 27. b. Model of Ship of Queen Hatshepsut, ca. 1500 B.C. Made by Mr. V. O. Lawson and now in the Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. Photograph courtesy of the museum. See p. 16. 3 Aegean Warships, 2000-800 B.C. a. Warships drawn on the backs of mirrors found on Syros in the Cyclades. Ca. 2000 B.C. From Evans, Palace of Minos, vol. 2, part i (London, See 1928) , p. 241, fig. 138. p. 41. b. Galley, probably 5o-oared, on a cylindrical clay box found at Pylos. Ca. 1200-1100 B.C. From Archaiologike Ephemeris (1914), pp. 108-109, figs. 14-15. See p. 41. c. Galley on a vase found at Asine. Ca. 1200-1 100 B.C. From O. Frodin and A. Persson, Asine. Results of the Swedish Excavations 1922-2930 (Stockholm, 1938) , fig. 207-2. See pp. 41, 84. d. Galley on a cup found at Eleusis (Eleusis Museum 741; on the original the ship faces left) . Ca. 850-800 B.C. From A. Koster, Das antike Seewesen (Berlin, 1923) , pi. 30. See pp. 83, 86. 4 Greek Warships, 800-700 B.C. a. Galley, probably 2O-oared, cruising. From an Athenian vase now in the Louvre (Louvre Asi7). Reproduced from Koster, pi. 18. See pp. 83, 84. b. Galley, probably 5O-oared, preparing to shove off. From a bowl found at Thebes and now in the British Museum. The vessel has only one bank of oars: the artist, wanting to include both port and starboard rowers but not able xvi Plates to handle the perspective involved, naively portrayed the one above the other. From Koster, pi. 19. See pp. 83, 84. c. Forward part of a galley showing the key-like tholepins. From an Athenian vase now in the Louvre (Louvre A527). Reproduced from Koster, pi. 21. See pp. 83, 84, 85. d. After portion of a galley in action. From an Athenian vase now in the Louvre (Louvre See ). Reproduced from Koster, pi. 24.