SALAMIS SHIPS 3 - OFF THE SLIPWAY

I threw some paint on the ship prototypes.

 They dont look too bad.

The idea is to paint a lot quickly, so I cannot afford to be too fussy (or be a better painter? Ed.).

They will do the job methinks. I am now constructing a mould for 10 ships. I cannot wait to see many war-galleys lined up against each other. Hundreds, even !

Excuse the execrable background art.

SALAMIS SHIPS IN THE DOCKYARD 2

I got round to casting off some of my Salamis 1/1000 triereis.

1/3600 fortification and 4 frech triereis

 
They are quite satisfactory with no high tech equipment necessary - just 21st century chemistry!
 

No bubbles to speak of, nice detail.

Now I will make another 6 prototypes and mould them so I can cast 10 at a time....

Umber wash to see better...

 If this is too time-consuming or expensive I will switch to glue-gun glue or  air-drying clay.

It will take about a day to cast 100 of these...allowing time for coffee and other things... 

THE ODYSSEY / ODDITY ?

Lurcio is impressed to fight Boadicea in his native land.But the trip is no fun..

Trojan Cow, early display by Ermine Street Guard, pointless jokes(you have to see it..)

Click pic to watch

SALAMIS . What scale for a refight?

Considering how to best do a refight of Salamis in the year the Greeks have chosen to celebrate as the 2500th anniversary I intend to to a refight with 1 model for 1 ship.

A basic question is what scale? 'Normal' waterline models come in at 1200th or 600th scale withthe diminutive 3600th scale also available.  I decided to resist the temptation to use 1/72 Academy, Atlantic or Zvezda ships....

The area of the battlefield is an important consideration because your wife will probably resist any intention to knock the living room and dining room into one because of something which happened so long ago. (Was it Tony Bath who had to reinforce his ceiling because he put an enormous sand-table in the loft? Ed.)

Your dining room/gaming table/garage floor is here..

Deciding what scale to fight the battle I drew up a table of values for comparison between the scales.

The total number of ships engaged can range from 600 to 1800 depending on what you want to recreate. In any event it means 500 or so models.

The 'bottom line' is where considerations of space and cost led me. Covid19 has put the kaibosh on any use of the local hall. So a smaller scale and cheaper figures are needed.

I have made some trials with 1200 and 1000 scale models mainly to use a scale where the ships are individual models rather than counters. I like Outpost 1/3600  See HERE and in header photo - but  I will try to do the project in as large a scale as possible.

Trying out some 1/1200 rules for unit-scale gaming...

With beginnings of 1/1200 models in high density polystyrene

1/1000 model prototypes under way.

Fiddly bits

Not bad when assembled. Greeks on left, Barbarians with depth charges ready for Greek sponge fishermen attacks

1/1000 scale models set for moulding - to be cast in resin.

I have a reserve option, to cast the ships using glue-gun glue but I will see how good they look in resin first and calculate the price.

CARTHGINIAN HELMET FROM EGADI

I found another photo of this helmet,  now cleaned.

Archaeologica Viva XXXV N.177

I was hoping the gunge might be hiding something exotic but it would appear this is a pilos type helmet. Though the brim is quite wide and there may be some details we cannot see and the magazine article does not mention.

The Roman poet Silius ( yes , it's true! he was a relative of Biggus maybe ? Ed.) Italicus tells us that a Carthaginian could wear a masked helmet with cheek pieces in his epic poem Punica.
The Roman champion  Asilus meets the Carthaginian Berytas in battle..
 

...while fighting in the centre of the fray, he came upon
Beryas, who had been sent by the Carthaginians to
make a treaty with the king of Syracuse and was
fighting side by side with the Syracusans ; but his
face was concealed by the brazen helmet that he
wore. Asilus attacked him with the steel, and,
as he tottered feebly backwards, hurled him to
the ground. Then, when he heard his conqueror's
voice, the poor wretch, recalling his life as it were
from Hades in fear and trembling, tore from his chin
the straps that bound his useless helmet, and asked
for mercy at the same time. He was about to say
more, when the Tuscan, startled by the sudden sight
of that familiar face, withdrew his sword and thus
addressed his antagonist, ere he could speak, with
sighs and tears : " Sue not, I pray, to me for hfe
with doubts and entreaties. For me it is right to
save my enemy. The noble warrior is he, whose first
and last thought is to keep faith even in time of war.
You began it and saved me from death before I saved
you. I should deserve the troubles I have met, and
should deserve to meet again with worse troubles, if
my right hand failed to clear a path for you through
fire and sword." With these words he raised Beryas
willingly from the ground and granted a life

in exchange for the life he had received. 

Well we must make do with the only Carthaginian helmet found on a maritime battle site....

The pilos helmets derived from a heavy felt cap - the pilos/pileus - which was worn as head protection in battle also - being light but capable of stopping all but the most direct blows. In the Sfakteria campaign the Spartans were not best pleased that arrows pierced their piloi easily.

HARDWEAR warrior from Pella , northern Greece 300BC (Livius.org)

SOFTWEAR : Louvre pot - Bill or Ben ?

 There is a chance another of these brimmed styles is represented....

sketches from HERE

The brim is quite broad and flared like this luxury example.

random on ewb----

Anyway, before I disappear down the rabbit hole that is helmet typology ..I did find that some of these deceptively simple helmets can have cheek guards and neck-guard attached.
This fine example resides in Australia!

Nicholson Museum Helmet:

This was probably made in southern Italy in the fourth century BC . Close to our date and place..

(Robinson, E. G. D. 1995. "South Italian Bronze Armour." In Classical Art in the Nicholson Museum, Sydney, edited by Cambitoglou, A. and Robinson, E. G. D., 145-66. Mainz)

Anyway  what might come up from the seabed in the next few years ?????

Look at it--thousands of shields helmets, armour, spears, daggers, belts... if just 1% survives!

Silius Hilarius Pompeius

If you are of a certain age you might remember being forbidden to watch this on TV.
Farce at its best with Frankie Howerd at his peak.

The one with the Ludus Pororum Club (and Roman submarine). Click pic for link.

John Junkin as a Jewish brothel keeper and the usual double entendres. Great fun!

THE RAM THAT TIME FORGOT

The Egadi rams have received most attention in recent years due to their spectacular number and direct association with the battle of the Aegetes Islands which effectively ended the First Punic War.

But in September 2008 another ram was found off Sicily but near Messina. This is the Aqualadrone Ram, which has languished in that familiar state of being written-up for publication. 12 years later I cannot find so much to write about..... I have personal reasons for wanting this ram published but ..maybe next year ?

Aqualadrone ram :cleaned-up

The ram was found in very shallow water - just 6 metres deep - and just 200m offshore !! In an area of low erosion so it was preserved by lucky conditions. Like the Athlit ram its supporting timbers were preserved from rotting sealed inside the bronze ram.

ram supports - 2300 years old!

The ram was recovered by Italian Navy diversand preserved by desalination and in a constant stream of deionised water in a plastic box.

More fotos HERE

There was plenty of wood for C-14 dating and this revealed a date of 277BC +/- 83. Which ties in nicely with the early days of the First Punic War. The battles of Mylae and Tyndaris were fought not far away and the ship could have sunk running for Messina harbour or in a combat during flight from either battle.

Problems of preservation continue because the wood includes much sulphur from the anaeobic conditions of preservation which now threatens to convert to sulphuric acid in aerobic conditions and attack the wood and the ram.

The ram has the same ornament modelled into the casting as the other trident rams found to date. The side of the cowl is modelled as a trident - the weapon of Poseidon -  with the three blades arising from a socket/handle at the rear.

 For details of inscriptions or any other ornament we must wait for publication. The Athlit ram took 11 years to emerge in print...

Some physical and chemical analysis has been carried out on the bronze and the wooden core remains. The supporting timbers appear to have the same arrangement as the Athlit ram.

the monster from Athlit

Analysis shows the wood to be pine but the exact type could not be determined.Pine was a preferred wood for warships where fir was unobtainable. The keel was made of oak for strength and wearing but it was not found here.

The presence of pine pitch was confirmed which was probably used as a preservative on the wood.

Luvlyjubly - can smell it now! Years of tar on a viking ship's planking

From lead isotope analysis the bronze originated in Spain or Cyprus.
Analysis paper HERE

The ram's dimensions are only estimated here:

WEIGHT 200Kg     LENGTH 100CM estimated    HEIGHT 80cm estimated.

The ram is nowhere near as large as the Athlit ram and is similar to Egadi 1 or 2. This makes it more likely to belong to a smaller ship. A 3 or pentekonter.