NE PLUS ULTRA ! - The Lines of...
The form of the hull of Syrakousia was probably relatively simple compared to modern - post medieval - ships.
The shell-built, draw-tongue edge-fastened hulls of ancient ships tended to take simple forms before frame-building allowed for much more secure and variable shapes to be tried.
The two main forms were long parallel hulls used for war galleys and rounded elliptical hulls used for sailing freighters.
Syrakousia was a sailing freighter not a rowed galley. Her hull was therfore of the elliptical type.
Exactly what form it took, though, needs a closer look.
Athenaeus tells us that the Syrakousia was built after the pattern of an eikosoros. This is sometimes mistranslated as a 'twenty' and therefore misconstrued as a galley. In fact, the eiksoros was a slang name for a type of common freighter which got their name from the fact they had 20 oars - in all - which could be deployed when needed. This type is mentioned in the Iliad and was apparently an early form from before the extended narrow galley hull had been developed. These ships could carry freight and sail and also be moved under oars more successfully than the freighters which Aristotle describes as being like beetles in water flailing ineffectually with their legs.
The ship Tim Severin built for his Jason Voyage project is something in this vein even though it was not built strictly after an ancient plan.
At the other end of the spectrum we have the Nemi ships. A quick glance at them shows they are unseaworthy. They are flat barges even though the techniques used were the same as for ocean going freighters.
They have no keel and are so flat that swell and waves would have quickly worked them to pieces.
Warships tend to having parallel sides because oars must all reach the water together and guns must be able to be aligned. Freighters can have curved sides. - but not to the extreme of the Nemi barges !
We have no complete wreck of a Greek or Roman freighter to work from but the small Uluburun ship from 1300BC and the Kyrenia ship from 400AD show us the general form remained over the whole of the ancient era.
A thousand years apart but hull construction and form are the same !.
Viking ships give us an parallel example of narrow long warships and rounded freighters.
Medieval sailing ships were built after the principal of being 'cod-headed and mackrel-tailed' which meant they were bluff in the bow for stability and had sleek after-lines to allow water to slip away past them without creating slowing eddies.
Ancient ships do not appear to ever have this contrast in form from bow to stern. Near-symmetry seems to have been the rule.
In addition, the bow is made high enough to be mostly out of the water when under way to avoid taking water in if a wave is broached.
The dangers of taking waves over the stern when under way in a high sea are an existential threat to sailing ships and for this reason we also see that ancient freighters have a raised stern.
The ship from Madrigue de Giens near Marseille - 1st century BC - seems to be a good pattern to incorporate in our exercise, too. It is a good size and exhibits a form which is neithr to narrow nor to broad. The stem is near vertical and the stern was probably high.The high stern sweep achieved a clean exit from the 'hole' the vessel creates in the water.
Medieval and later sailing ships tend to have the broadest beam midships or nearer to the bow.
Finely designed yachts can have the broadest point midships, carefully incorporated in the design.
Ancient ships seem to have gone with the idea that the broadest point should be midships or slightly aft of there.
In summary, we should have a generally elliptical form at the waterline which could be almost parallel down the beam for a distance on the basis the length of this ship.
The bow should rise up, being relatively sharp with a near vertical stem. The stern should be higher than the bow and upswept.
We should also remember that ancient ships have large steering oars at the rear - one on each side. These were mounted on a frame built onto the hull so they could be balanced well enough that one man could control the pair from the poop deck.
LASTLY! Not LEASTLY
The narrowing to the bow and stern typically takes up about 1/7 of the shull length. We must remember that we want to preserve as much deck space as possible to build all the superstructure and install all the towers and weapons and good stuff!
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR MODELLING
What I did next was to draw a few profiles on card.
I used strips of correct length and folded them in half over the length. Draw and cut form so so you then open both sides and see the symmetrical hull form. Don't try to draw both sides freehand !
Try to preserve as much beam as possible down the length.
Try to give it an historically authentic look.
Try to give it a curve pleasing to the eye.
After doing a few of these and comparing them to some of the profiles above I ended up with a waterline hull shape to use for the model.....
A was too sharp and lost too much deck space.
B was too narrow forward of midships.
C was just right. For my purposes.
The form of the hull of Syrakousia was probably relatively simple compared to modern - post medieval - ships.
The shell-built, draw-tongue edge-fastened hulls of ancient ships tended to take simple forms before frame-building allowed for much more secure and variable shapes to be tried.
The two main forms were long parallel hulls used for war galleys and rounded elliptical hulls used for sailing freighters.
Syrakousia was a sailing freighter not a rowed galley. Her hull was therfore of the elliptical type.
Exactly what form it took, though, needs a closer look.
Athenaeus tells us that the Syrakousia was built after the pattern of an eikosoros. This is sometimes mistranslated as a 'twenty' and therefore misconstrued as a galley. In fact, the eiksoros was a slang name for a type of common freighter which got their name from the fact they had 20 oars - in all - which could be deployed when needed. This type is mentioned in the Iliad and was apparently an early form from before the extended narrow galley hull had been developed. These ships could carry freight and sail and also be moved under oars more successfully than the freighters which Aristotle describes as being like beetles in water flailing ineffectually with their legs.
The ship Tim Severin built for his Jason Voyage project is something in this vein even though it was not built strictly after an ancient plan.
At the other end of the spectrum we have the Nemi ships. A quick glance at them shows they are unseaworthy. They are flat barges even though the techniques used were the same as for ocean going freighters.
 |
| Nemi 1 |
 |
| Nemi 2 |
They have no keel and are so flat that swell and waves would have quickly worked them to pieces.
Warships tend to having parallel sides because oars must all reach the water together and guns must be able to be aligned. Freighters can have curved sides. - but not to the extreme of the Nemi barges !
 |
| Ocean class 3-decker. parallel -sided. Bluff, with fine tail. |
We have no complete wreck of a Greek or Roman freighter to work from but the small Uluburun ship from 1300BC and the Kyrenia ship from 400AD show us the general form remained over the whole of the ancient era.
Viking ships give us an parallel example of narrow long warships and rounded freighters.
 |
| Ottar - Skuldelev 1 - fat for freight (reconstructed modern shape with widest beam forward!) |
 |
| Gokstadskibet : elongate, a jack of all trades |
 |
| Long ships and round ships - viking style |
 |
| Matthew Baker's naturalistic hull design. Tudor tech. |
Ancient ships do not appear to ever have this contrast in form from bow to stern. Near-symmetry seems to have been the rule.
In addition, the bow is made high enough to be mostly out of the water when under way to avoid taking water in if a wave is broached.
The dangers of taking waves over the stern when under way in a high sea are an existential threat to sailing ships and for this reason we also see that ancient freighters have a raised stern.
Medieval and later sailing ships tend to have the broadest beam midships or nearer to the bow.
Finely designed yachts can have the broadest point midships, carefully incorporated in the design.
Ancient ships seem to have gone with the idea that the broadest point should be midships or slightly aft of there.
 |
| reconstruction of freighter Isis - |
In summary, we should have a generally elliptical form at the waterline which could be almost parallel down the beam for a distance on the basis the length of this ship.
The bow should rise up, being relatively sharp with a near vertical stem. The stern should be higher than the bow and upswept.
We should also remember that ancient ships have large steering oars at the rear - one on each side. These were mounted on a frame built onto the hull so they could be balanced well enough that one man could control the pair from the poop deck.
LASTLY! Not LEASTLY
The narrowing to the bow and stern typically takes up about 1/7 of the shull length. We must remember that we want to preserve as much deck space as possible to build all the superstructure and install all the towers and weapons and good stuff!
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR MODELLING
What I did next was to draw a few profiles on card.
I used strips of correct length and folded them in half over the length. Draw and cut form so so you then open both sides and see the symmetrical hull form. Don't try to draw both sides freehand !
Try to preserve as much beam as possible down the length.
Try to give it an historically authentic look.
Try to give it a curve pleasing to the eye.
After doing a few of these and comparing them to some of the profiles above I ended up with a waterline hull shape to use for the model.....
A was too sharp and lost too much deck space.
B was too narrow forward of midships.
C was just right. For my purposes.
 |
| The waterline shape for my Syrakousia model Ne plus ultra! I accept this main deck template for the model of Syrakousia Next... what is on the decks ? |
