Stuff To Blow Your Mind From the Vault: Ancient Oars on the Wine-Dark Sea, Part 3
Sep 2, 2025
Dive into the fascinating world of ancient Mediterranean galleys and their oar-powered marvels! Discover the construction and tactics of Greek triremes, essential to naval warfare. Explore the historical significance of oars in maritime culture and their impact on trade. Uncover the engineering intricacies of colossal ships like Ptolemy IV’s 40-oar Tessarakonteres, while connecting these innovations to modern narratives in film and gaming. Plus, enjoy a vibrant glimpse into the spirit of the U.S. Open and its tennis legends!
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Trireme Design And Tactics
- Triremes combined concentrated human power with lightness to be fast and maneuverable in battle.
- Their primary weapon was a bronze-sheathed ram used to strike and crack enemy hulls rather than stab through them.
Discovery Of The Athlit Ram
- The Athlit ram was recovered off Haifa in 1980 and preserved with wooden timbers embedded inside.
- Archaeologist J. Richard Steffy studied it and used it to show how rams distributed impact into the ship's hull.
Ramming Relies On Hull Engineering
- Steffy argued the entire bottom of the ship acted as the weapon by absorbing and distributing ramming impact.
- Successful ramming balanced mass and speed to damage the enemy while avoiding self-destruction or getting stuck.
