Drawing of a boat
((:navis))
| Description of Drawing (English): | boat |
|---|---|
| Findspot: |
Smyrna, Basilica
(Agora.1)
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| Drawing Category: | Boats |
| Writing Style: | Graffito/incised |
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| Bibliography: | Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 375. |
| Commentary: | Graffito of a ship, located on the eastern face of Pier A74. The graffito is damaged by two large lacunae in the plaster, so that both the upper portion of the ship’s sails and the prow have completely vanished. The ship, a mid-sized commercial vessel sailing on port tack, is characterized by a flat keel and a pointed stern. From the stern project the very large and rectangular blades of the two πηδάλια. A long straight line running parallel to the hull suggests the presence of a deck. The central mast is disproportionately large and decorated with horizontal lines indicating the rigging. Crisscrossing motifs set on both sides of the mast indicate the sail. Considering the different orientations in the two sets of motifs, the drawing is meant to show two separate sails connected to the same mast. Due to a gap in the plaster, the yard and the upper portion of the sails are not preserved. No oars are visible. |
| Suggested Citation: | AGP-SMYDP0741, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <http://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYDP0741> [accessed: 23 Apr 2024] |
| Contributions: |
Editor: Roger S. Bagnall Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall Last Revision: 2016-10-03 |
