A recent study has shed light on the capabilities of ancient triremes, revealing that the minimum speed needed to break a single plank of an enemy ship with a ram is 1.3 to 3 knots. This finding highlights the technical sophistication and advanced understanding of naval engineering in antiquity.
Triremes, famous for their efficient design and speed, were the backbone of naval fleets in the ancient Mediterranean world. The ram, a structure made of a bronze casing over a wooden base, projected from the bow of the ship below the waterline.
Its main objective was to cause critical damage to the enemy ship’s hull, allowing significant water penetration and thus ensuring its destruction.
The study, based on a “first principles” approach, combined engineering principles and energy balance concepts from physics. The researchers analyzed the construction details of the attacked ships and assessed their ability to withstand the impact of a ram of specific length.
The researchers concluded that the minimum speed to break a plank ranges from 1.3 to 3 knots (2.4 to 5.5 kilometers per hour). These values were derived from a variety of parameters obtained from archaeological data of shipwrecks.
The importance of this discovery lies in its experimental validation. The crew of the Olympias, a modern reconstruction of an Athenian trireme, demonstrated that the speeds necessary for an effective ram impact are within the capabilities of these ancient vessels.
These practical tests not only corroborate theoretical estimates but also provide a tangible insight into how naval tactics were carried out in antiquity.
The Olympias has played a crucial role in this field, allowing researchers to test historical hypotheses about navigation and naval combat.
The tests conducted with this modern trireme have been fundamental to better understanding the dynamics of impact and the effectiveness of the bronze ram.
SOURCES
E. Itzhack, D. Cvikel, Y. Me–Bar, Damaging a trireme by ramming: The kinetics. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 57, September 2024, 104678. doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104678
- Share on:
Discover more from LBV Magazine English Edition
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
What Did Dinosaurs Eat to Grow So Large? New Findings in Their Droppings Reveal How They Achieved Supremacy
Approximately 200 million years ago, during the transition between the Triassic and Jurassic geological eras, dinosaurs began to stand out significantly in terrestrial ecosystems. During this period, not only did…
Small Spoon-Shaped Objects for Measuring Doses Reveal Northern European Barbarian Warriors Used Stimulants in Battle During the Roman Era
In ancient conflicts, courage and resilience were essential qualities for warriors venturing onto the battlefield. However, a recent study has uncovered evidence suggesting that these attributes did not always rely…
Footprints of Two Different Hominin Species Found in the Same Place and Time For the First Time, Coexisting in the Pleistocene
More than a million years ago, on a warm and vibrant African savanna near Lake Turkana in what is now Kenya, two entirely different species of hominins shared the same…
Schienenzeppelin, the Strange Experimental German Train Powered by a Propeller That Held the Speed Record Until 1954
Although looking at the images might suggest a Japanese bullet train, this was actually an experimental German railcar named the Schienenzeppelin—“Zeppelin on Rails”—due to its resemblance to airships. Propelled by…
The Most Powerful Cosmic Rays Detected Come from Several Points Near Our Solar System
The universe is a stage filled with extreme phenomena, where temperatures and energies reach unimaginable levels. In this context, there are objects such as supernova remnants, pulsars, and active galactic…
When France Evacuated Toulon and Converted the Cathedral into a Mosque to Temporarily Cede It to the Ottomans
Hayreddin Barbarossa, the famed admiral of the Ottoman Empire, effectively became the master of the Mediterranean during the first half of the 16th century. Between 1543 and 1544, he raided…
A Roman Chalice Preserved for Generations as a Family Heirloom Found in the Tomb of a Sixth-Century Woman in England
In 2018, during excavations carried out by the University of Sheffield in Scremby, Lincolnshire, an enamelled copper alloy chalice was discovered in a female grave dating from the 6th century…
“Pulvis Puteolana” discovered in a 1st-Century CE Roman Hydraulic Structure Submerged in the Venetian Lagoon
An unprecedented finding in the San Felice Canal, located in the northern Venetian Lagoon, has unveiled the presence of a material used as an additive in Roman calcestruzzo: pulvis puteolana,…
A Bone Stylus for Writing on Wax Tablets and Other Objects Discovered in the Celtic Oppidum of Altenburg-Rheinau
Between August and October of this year, the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (LAD) of Stuttgart, Germany, conducted a new phase of archaeological investigations in Altenburg, located in the municipality of Jestetten,…
A Pre-Hispanic Dock and Navigable Canal Connecting to Lake Texcoco Found Beneath Chapultepec Ave. in Mexico City
Beneath the bustling Chapultepec Ave., in the heart of Mexico City, a team from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) uncovered the remains of a dock and a…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
