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Marsala (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Marsala Ship is the earliest warship known from archeological evidence. It is a wreck discovered in 1969 in an area called Punta Scario in the harbor of Marsala
in western Sicily, Italy, near the Aegadian Islands
. The Marsala Ship's "nationality" was painted on the sides with letters by its Punic builders from Carthage
.
. A merchant cargo ship made regular journeys and required large containers for storing water. It also needed grinders
and mortars
for dried food. It would normally carry large pots for communal cooking. It would also have fish-hooks for catching available fresh fish.
The Marsala Ship had only small cups and bowls for individual servings. Its wine, water, and other liquids were carried in amphorae of miscellaneous shapes. Food remains were fresh and perishable, such as various kinds of butchered meat. Bones of deer, horses, oxen, sheep, goats and pigs were all found. All this indicated it was intended as a warship and not as a merchant cargo vessel. The presence of ballast
stones and lack of merchant cargo definitely indicate that it was a warship, probably used for scouting purposes or for ramming smaller boats. The remains of marijuana stems — which may have been chewed by the oarsmen — were also found in the wreck.
It is believed to have been one of the Liburnian "long ships", an oared vessel with 17 sweeps per side used by ancient Carthage
in the Battle of the Aegates Islands
(241 BC). This was the last battle of the First Punic War
between Carthage and the Roman Republic. Carbon-14
tests on timbers and other materials determined a date of 235 BC.
The vessel was determined to be approximately 115 feet (35 meters) long and 15.7 feet (4.8 meters) wide.
It was in 1969 that a captain
of a commercial dredge digging sand for making glass discovered buried wood from ancient vessels in the area of Punta Scario. In 1971 the movement of a sandbank exposed the "Punic Ship's" stern post with projecting timber. This endangered the shipwreck
, threatening the loss of the potential historical value of the information it revealed about the Phoenicians. Rescue excavation began in earnest and continued for the next four years.
The Sicilian authorities and the British School at Rome
appointed Honor Frost
to direct the excavation. Frost and her international team of marine archeologists excavated the site. Progress reports were published yearly in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (London and New York). When the field-work ended, a comprehensive report was published by the 'Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Rome) as a Supplement to Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, XXX (1976).
Some extremely rare finds amongst the shipwreck were a plaited basket, a piece of rope fashioned into a simple eye splice, a little brush, a knife blade, a spade, and a couple of toggles. Also found were parts of a human skeleton, possibly of a Carthaginian sailor trapped by the ship's ballast.
Marsala
Marsala is a seaport city located in the Province of Trapani on the island of Sicily in Italy. The low coast on which it is situated is the westernmost point of the island...
in western Sicily, Italy, near the Aegadian Islands
Aegadian Islands
The Aegadian Islands , are a group of small mountainous islands in the Mediterranean Sea off the northwest coast of Sicily, Italy, near the city of Trapani, with a total area of ....
. The Marsala Ship's "nationality" was painted on the sides with letters by its Punic builders from Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
.
Ship
Its architecture and contents show that it was not a merchant cargo shipCargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
. A merchant cargo ship made regular journeys and required large containers for storing water. It also needed grinders
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
and mortars
Mortar and pestle
A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances . The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone...
for dried food. It would normally carry large pots for communal cooking. It would also have fish-hooks for catching available fresh fish.
The Marsala Ship had only small cups and bowls for individual servings. Its wine, water, and other liquids were carried in amphorae of miscellaneous shapes. Food remains were fresh and perishable, such as various kinds of butchered meat. Bones of deer, horses, oxen, sheep, goats and pigs were all found. All this indicated it was intended as a warship and not as a merchant cargo vessel. The presence of ballast
Sailing ballast
Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
stones and lack of merchant cargo definitely indicate that it was a warship, probably used for scouting purposes or for ramming smaller boats. The remains of marijuana stems — which may have been chewed by the oarsmen — were also found in the wreck.
It is believed to have been one of the Liburnian "long ships", an oared vessel with 17 sweeps per side used by ancient Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
in the Battle of the Aegates Islands
Battle of the Aegates Islands
The Battle of the Aegates Islands or Aegusa was the final naval battle fought between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic during the First Punic War...
(241 BC). This was the last battle of the First Punic War
First Punic War
The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in...
between Carthage and the Roman Republic. Carbon-14
Carbon-14
Carbon-14, 14C, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with a nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and colleagues , to date archaeological, geological, and hydrogeological...
tests on timbers and other materials determined a date of 235 BC.
The vessel was determined to be approximately 115 feet (35 meters) long and 15.7 feet (4.8 meters) wide.
Excavation
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
of a commercial dredge digging sand for making glass discovered buried wood from ancient vessels in the area of Punta Scario. In 1971 the movement of a sandbank exposed the "Punic Ship's" stern post with projecting timber. This endangered the shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
, threatening the loss of the potential historical value of the information it revealed about the Phoenicians. Rescue excavation began in earnest and continued for the next four years.
The Sicilian authorities and the British School at Rome
British School at Rome
The British School at Rome was established in 1901 and granted a Royal Charter in 1912 as an educational institute in the fields of archaeology, literature, music, and history of Rome and Italy of every period, and for the study of the fine arts and architecture...
appointed Honor Frost
Honor Frost
Honor Frost was a pioneer in the field of underwater archaeology, who led many mediterranean archaeological investigations specially in the Lebanon and was noted for her typology of stone anchors and skills in archaeological illustration.-Early life:An only child, Frost was born in Nicosia, Cyprus...
to direct the excavation. Frost and her international team of marine archeologists excavated the site. Progress reports were published yearly in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (London and New York). When the field-work ended, a comprehensive report was published by the 'Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Rome) as a Supplement to Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, XXX (1976).
Some extremely rare finds amongst the shipwreck were a plaited basket, a piece of rope fashioned into a simple eye splice, a little brush, a knife blade, a spade, and a couple of toggles. Also found were parts of a human skeleton, possibly of a Carthaginian sailor trapped by the ship's ballast.