Ancient Mediterranean

Digital Project

Ship model

Cat. No.

A7

Date

LH

Findspot

Mycenae, chamber tomb 79

Dimensions

L: 7 cm; H (gunwale): 2.5 cm; H (posts): 3.1 cm

Medium

Clay model, greenish-white slip, remains of black paint along gunwales and hull

Accession Number

Athens National Museum 3099

References

Basch 1987: 141, no. 292; Göttlicher 1978: taf. 25; Gray 1974: G19, no. C44, G55; Johnston 1985: 29, BA 20; Laviosa 1969-70: 26; Marinatos 1933: 175, no. 25; Sakellarakis 1971: 98-99, no. 3099; Wachsmann 1998: 104-105, fig. 6.39; Wedde 2000: 310, no. 311; Xenaki-Sakellariou 1985: 220, 222, pl. 104: 3099; Tomb: Tsountas and Manatt 1897

Flat bottomed hull with slightly incurving symmetrical stems that rise near vertically. One of the stems is a reconstruction. The widest beam is amidships. Slightly off center inside the hold towards the restored extremity there are two irregular clay cylinders which could be thwarts, ribs, or benches. The larger one is curved while the smaller one is straight. Wedde classifies the model as belonging to Type IV.

The model was found near the stomion of the chamber tomb along with a triple figurine comprised of two female phi figurines attached at the body and carrying a child between them on their shoulders. The tomb has provided twelve biconical amber beads, eight of which were identified to be Baltic amber (Beck et al 1972: 374-375). Tsountas does not discuss the tomb directly, so nothing further is known.

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

Göttlicher, A. 1978. Materialien für ein Korpus der Schiffsmodelle im Altertum. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern.

Gray, D. 1974, Seewesen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Johnston, P. F. 1985. Ships and Boat Models in Ancient Greece. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.

Laviosa, C. 1969-70. “La marina micenea,” Annuario 47-48: 7-40.

Marinatos, S. 1933. “La marine créto-mycénienne,” BCH 57: 170-235.

Sakellarakis, J.A. 1971. “Elephantinon ploion ek Mykinon,” ArchEph: 188-233.

Tsountas, C. and I. Manatt. 1897. The Mycenaean Age. A Study of the Monuments and Culture of pre-Homeric Greece. London: Macmillan and Co.

Wachsmann, S. 1998. Seagoing Ships & Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press.

Wedde, M. 2000. Towards a Hermeneutics of Aegean Bronze Age Ship Imagery. Peleus Studien zur Archäologie und Geschichte Griechenlands und Zyperns, vol. 6. Bibliopolis: Mannheim and Möhnsee.

Xenaki-Sakellariou, A. 1985. Οί θαλαμώτοι τάφοι τ ῶν Μυκην ῶν. Ἀνασκαφ ὴς Χρ. Τσούντα (1887-1898). Paris.

  • 3D Model View

  • side A

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  • side B

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  • top view

    copyright icon © Athens National Museum. Photograph by T. Manolova Click for fullscreen
  • bottom view

    copyright icon © Athens National Museum. Photograph by T. Manolova Click for fullscreen