Ancient Mediterranean

Digital Project

Ship model with rowers

Cat. No.

L45

Date

Archaic (?)

Findspot

from the sea south of Tyre

Dimensions

L: 28.8 cm; W: 7.7 cm; H (max): 5.7 cm

Medium

Terracotta model of finely levigated dark reddish-brown clay covered with marine encrustation

Accession Number

References

Basch 1987: 305, 307, no. 646 ; Chollot 1973: 83; 1975: 83-84, photos 1-2; Raban and Kahanov 2003: 67, fig. 5

Low flat hull with a slightly concave bottom amidships. The post on the left in the drawing is slightly thicker, possibly indicating a greater draught at this part. The bow and stern have decks, with six slightly convex benches between them. The width between these benches varies between 1.7 and 2 cm. The benches have stubs/protrusions similar to the Hecht museum models, indicating now missing rowers with their legs outstretched. These are located at the center of the benches however and indicate a single rower per bench. Chollot describes five oarsmen but the photograph suggests that there are perhaps six.

Recovered by a sponge diver who's kept the location secret. Hundreds of statuettes were recovered by him from the same location.

Basch, L. 1987. Le musée imaginaire de la marine antique. Athens: Institut Hellénique pour la preservation de la tradition nautique.

Chollot, M. 1973. “Perspectives d’archéologie sous-marine au Liban,” CahArchSubaq 2: 147-156.

―――. 1975. “Étude de deux modèles de barques en terre cuite pêchées en mer,” CahArchSubaq 4: 83-89.

Raban, A. and Y. Kahanov. 2003. “Clay Models of Phoenician Vessels in the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa, Israel,” IJNA 32.1: 61-72.

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