Reply To: Ancient Ships

[Tony Hughes]

The top image is reasonable, the MM ship is just silly – a ram fitted there would either break off on impact or break the prow timbers. It isn’t known for sure that these Egyptian ships were seagoing.

Bronze rams are definitely no earlier than the classical period and even wooden rams are considered unlikely as early as the Mycenaean age. A ‘pointed’ hull is considered a possibility but its purpose was more likely to be strengthening the bow or for better rowing qualities. Advances in ship construction appear to have taken place early in the classical era that make the ram feasible and lead to the development of progressively larger ships.