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    Principles of Construction

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    Lamia Sameh
    The document discusses basic principles of ship design, construction, and propulsion in ancient times. It covers terminology used for ship components like the hull, keel, and frames. It describes different methods for joining wooden planks like lashing and mortise and tenon. Ship design depended on purpose, with cargo ships prioritizing capacity and warships focusing on speed and weaponry. Both utilized sails but warships additionally had rows of oarsmen for maneuvers. Over time, ships transitioned from single-level to multi-level rowing configurations.

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    Principles of Construction

    Uploaded by

    Lamia Sameh
    69 views17 pages
    The document discusses basic principles of ship design, construction, and propulsion in ancient times. It covers terminology used for ship components like the hull, keel, and frames. It describes different methods for joining wooden planks like lashing and mortise and tenon. Ship design depended on purpose, with cargo ships prioritizing capacity and warships focusing on speed and weaponry. Both utilized sails but warships additionally had rows of oarsmen for maneuvers. Over time, ships transitioned from single-level to multi-level rowing configurations.

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    The document discusses basic principles of ship design, construction, and propulsion in ancient times. It covers terminology used for ship components like the hull, keel, and frames. It describes different methods for joining wooden planks like lashing and mortise and tenon. Ship design depended on purpose, with cargo ships prioritizing capacity and warships focusing on speed and weaponry. Both utilized sails but warships additionally had rows of oarsmen for maneuvers. Over time, ships transitioned from single-level to multi-level rowing configurations.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    69 views17 pages

    Principles of Construction

    Uploaded by

    Lamia Sameh
    The document discusses basic principles of ship design, construction, and propulsion in ancient times. It covers terminology used for ship components like the hull, keel, and frames. It describes different methods for joining wooden planks like lashing and mortise and tenon. Ship design depended on purpose, with cargo ships prioritizing capacity and warships focusing on speed and weaponry. Both utilized sails but warships additionally had rows of oarsmen for maneuvers. Over time, ships transitioned from single-level to multi-level rowing configurations.

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    You are on page 1of 17

    Basic Principles of Design,

    Construction, and Propulsion


    for Ancient Ships
    A ‘lashed’ hull
    Three banks of rowers in a trireme

    1. Basic terminology in construction and design


    2. Design features of ancient ships of commerce
    3. Design features of ancient ships of war
    4. Principles of propulsion
    Basic terminology in construction and design

    the hull
    built of planks
    (skin)

    the keel
    (spine)

    The keel supports the ‘length’ of the ship


    Basic terminology in construction and design

    The frames (ribs)

    The frames support the ‘beam’ of the ship


    Fastening the planks of the hull in the ancient Mediterranean region

    tenon

    Lashing the planks with ligatures


    (most Egyptian river craft,
    sometimes used in combination
    with mortise and tenon joinery on
    Mediterranean seagoing ships)
    Joining the planks with mortise
    and tenons (all ancient
    Mediterranean seagoing ships)
    Skeleton (frame)-first is far less labour intensive (fewer or no tenons!)
    and more uniform or ‘industrial’

    A chronological
    trend

    Reconstruction of the skeleton


    Reconstruction of the shell (hull)-first (frame)-first Serce Limani
    Kyrenia shipwreck (ca. 300 BCE) shipwreck (ca. AD 1000)
    Shell and skeleton as design and construction concepts in ancient Mediterranean shipbuilding

    A chronological
    trend

    Reconstruction of the skeleton


    Reconstruction of the shell (hull)-first (frame)-first Serce Limani
    Kyrenia shipwreck (ca. 300 BCE) shipwreck (ca. AD 1000)
    All of the ship projects you have chosen will be based on the shell-first principle
    (labour intensive, idiosyncratic, more intuitive than engineered)

    Skeleton-first concepts do not begin to be formulated in the Mediterranean until ca. AD 600
    Moving large wooden containers through water
    Design principles for ancient ships of commerce and war

    All ships of commerce are designed


    as cargo boxes (in concept they are Ships of war are much more variable
    relatively invariable ) (depending on the weaponry, fighting force,
    and desired speed)
    A floating cargo box
    A floating (battering) ram and fighting force
    under wind propulsion
    under wind propulsion (cruising) and oar
    propulsion (fighting)
    Some design considerations for ancient ships of commerce and war

    Cargo ships can be built heavily (or sturdily) and length to beam ratio is normally 1:3
    Some design considerations for ancient ships of commerce and war

    Warships need to be built lightly, and the length to beam ratio is normally 1:6
    Propulsion: all ancient seagoing ships harnessed wind power

    A galley giving chase to a merchantman on a Classical Greek cup (ca. 500 BCE)
    Under (boom-footed) sail in the Bronze Age (ca. 3500-1200 BCE)

    (movable)Yard

    Mast

    (fixed) Boom
    An ‘evolutionary’ development in sailing technology: the loose-footed sail

    ca. 1350 BCE ca. 1200 BCE

    ca. 500 BCE


    All ships of war in the ancient Mediterranean (and high prestige ships/barges) were rowed
    Another chronological development
    (or evolution in naval warfare)

    Mycenaean (single bank of rowers—ca. 1200 BCE)

    Phoenician biremes (two banks of rowers—ca. 700 BCE)

    Classical Greek trireme


    (three banks of rowers
    ca. 450 BCE)

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