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Found: A Ship Once Described By Herodotus
Atas Obscura ^ | 19mar19 | by Jonathan Carey

Posted on 03/23/2019 5:34:39 AM PDT by vannrox

A wreck discovered in the Nile suggests the ancient Greek historian’s description was spot on.

by Jonathan Carey
March 19, 2019
The wooden hull of ship 17.The wooden hull of ship 17. Christoph Gerigk@Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation

Herodotus is known as the father of history, but some of his writings have created more questions than answers. In his account of a fifth-century B.C. trip to Egypt, included in his most important work The Histories, the ancient Greek historian describes seeing unusual boats called baris sailing down the Nile. However, no physical evidence was discovered of the ships until now.

A team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology recently discovered more than 70 sunken vessels in the sunken ancient port-city of Thonis-Heracleion, near the branch of the Nile delta known as the Canopic or Herakleotic branch. As The Guardian reports, one of those ships, ship 17, bears a striking resemblance in design to the boats Herodotus described in The Histories.

In his text, Herodotus describes the cargo vessels in great detail across 23 lines. He writes, “Their boats with which they carry cargoes are made of the acacia of which the form is very like that of the Kyrenian lotus, and its sap is gum.” He continues, describing how the wood is adjoined and cut: “They cut planks two cubits long and arrange them like bricks, building their ships in the following way: on the strong and long tenons they insert two-cubit planks.”

When the researchers discovered ship 17, around 70 percent of its hull was intact and made from planks of acacia, as Herodotus had described. Damian Robinson, director of Oxford University’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology, told The Guardian that the technique used to join the planks was unique and has not been seen elsewhere, except in the pages written by Herodotus.

A new book, entitled Ship 17: a Baris from Thonis-Heracleion, by the archaeologist Alexander Belov, from the Centre for Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, further examines the sunken ship and its place among the shipbuilding traditions of the Nile. It also compares, in greater depth, ship 17’s design to the designs described by Herodotus, bolstering his historical record.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Egypt; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: acacia; africa; ancientnavigation; archaeology; baris; discovery; egypt; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; heracleion; herodotus; history; missing; navigation; nile; ship; shipping; thonis
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1 posted on 03/23/2019 5:34:39 AM PDT by vannrox
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To: SunkenCiv

I thought that this was interesting.


2 posted on 03/23/2019 5:35:49 AM PDT by vannrox (The Preamble to the Bill of Rights - without it, our Bill of Rights is meaningless!)
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To: vannrox

It is! Thanks


3 posted on 03/23/2019 5:40:11 AM PDT by jonsie
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To: vannrox

Great! I read his history when I was 12 1950. then Plutarch’s Lives. All predicted what is happening today with the lefties destroying civilization.


4 posted on 03/23/2019 5:42:04 AM PDT by stubernx98 (cranky, but reasonable)
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To: vannrox

Funny — I woke up thinking about Herodotus. I have a book somewhere, the Landmark Herodotus...if I can’t find it I’ll buy another, it was that good.


5 posted on 03/23/2019 5:44:38 AM PDT by Buttons12
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To: vannrox

6 posted on 03/23/2019 5:51:46 AM PDT by tlozo
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To: stubernx98

All predicted what is happening today with the lefties destroying civilization.

**************

Did the books predict the rise of a uniparty whose common interests helped to destroy those civilizations or is that unique to modern history?


7 posted on 03/23/2019 5:54:12 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: tlozo

I wonder if they used some type of stuffing box to keep water from coming up through the keel segments?


8 posted on 03/23/2019 5:59:21 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: zot

An interesting story about the Vikings and navigation that you might like.


9 posted on 03/23/2019 6:47:02 AM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: vannrox

WHAT? No threat to these shipwrecks from global warming? Author Jonathan Carey needs to get with the program or his days are numbered.

This really is a remarkable story!


10 posted on 03/23/2019 6:48:27 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Starboard

From the Guardian page which has more details...

“They obturate the seams from within with papyrus.”

I would venture to say they probably also used some sort of resin.

What I find interesting is how they could keep such short planks together. 2 cubits would only be between 3-4 feet.


11 posted on 03/23/2019 7:08:51 AM PDT by Openurmind
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To: Openurmind

Lap joints and nails?


12 posted on 03/23/2019 7:46:03 AM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
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To: Starboard

Looks from the drawing as if the rudder post is well above the waterline...


13 posted on 03/23/2019 7:48:31 AM PDT by dinodino
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To: Starboard

Looks from the drawing as if the rudder post is well above the waterline...


14 posted on 03/23/2019 7:48:32 AM PDT by dinodino
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To: SoCal Pubbie

I read the article more and they said Tenon joints and pegs. But I’m still not sure I would want to put it out on the open sea. The Nile at best. lol


15 posted on 03/23/2019 8:00:58 AM PDT by Openurmind
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To: GreyFriar
An interesting story about the Vikings and navigation that you might like.

Thanks. I will look for it.

16 posted on 03/23/2019 8:15:04 AM PDT by zot
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To: vannrox
Looks like this?

Vikings ahoy!

17 posted on 03/23/2019 8:40:00 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: dinodino

Yes it does but underway that can change with waves, especially in high following seas.


18 posted on 03/23/2019 9:58:04 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: vannrox; 240B; 75thOVI; Adder; albertp; asgardshill; At the Window; bitt; blu; BradyLS; ...
Thanks vannrox. Outstanding, you know what a fan of Herodotus I am... tempted to do a second ping to the Digest list... Hey, why not, it'a a slow news day... /jk

19 posted on 03/23/2019 12:34:16 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: vannrox; SunkenCiv

These posts and the pings to them are always appreciated.


20 posted on 03/23/2019 2:23:38 PM PDT by AndyJackson
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