Drawing of a boat
((:navis))
| Description of Drawing (English): | boat |
|---|---|
| Findspot: |
Smyrna, Basilica
(Agora.1)
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| Drawing Category: | Boats |
| Writing Style: | charcoal |
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| Bibliography: | Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 195-196. Pomey, P. 2006. “Les graffiti navals de l’agora. Etude preliminaire.” Anatolia Antiqua 14: 334–5, figs. 25–27. |
| Commentary: | The ships in this bay have been previously published as Bay 15-T26 A, B, C in Pomey 2006: 334–5, figs. 25–27. Dipinto of a ship, located on the west face of Pier A26, looking into Bay 15. The vessel, possibly a navis actuaria sailing on port tack, has a flat keel, a concave stern, and a rounded prow. At the stern, a short and projecting aplustre is rendered in a thick line. Below it, a row of at least six oars is visible, all drawn as parallel diagonal lines, each terminating in a small circle. The prow seems to have a long στόλος, but this area of the graffito is too damaged to distinguish any elements of it. The ship has a single mast, placed roughly in the center and drawn with two parallel and slightly diagonal lines. The mast terminates at the yard, which extends for the whole width of the ship. Both the ropes securing the yard to the ship (ὑπέραι) and the mast to the hull (καλῴδια) are clearly indicated. The sail is not immediately visible; the artist probably imagined it as rolled up by the yard. The image of a vessel with similar hull and prow is visible on a gravestone from Cyzicus, dated to the first century BCE, attesting to the longevity of the iconography as well as to the longevity of the actual ship type: Pfuhl and Möbius 1977: vol. 2, no. 1187, p. 292.' |
| Suggested Citation: | AGP-SMYD00154, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <http://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYD00154> [accessed: 26 Apr 2024] |
| Contributions: |
Editor: Roger S. Bagnall Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall Last Revision: 2016-10-03 |
