Monoreme Pentikontoros , Scale 1/50 - Length 550mm
- Brand: Navarinomodels.com
- Product Code: C501
- Availability: In Stock
- 152.00€
In the
pre-classic period the ships that travelled through the region of the
Mediterranean Sea, according to findings of shipwrecks, as well as information from ancient texts, were built by the method "shell first".
After the initial
attempt to build canoes and papyrella, evolution in shipbuilding came in the
form of "shell first". This technique can be described as follow: The
shipwrights of the time, cut tree trunks and they formed them in order to get
the desired shape. Then they connected the next shaped trunk using wood mortises
and tenons. The reason that they did not
use metal for the joining process, is obviously that it was expensive to create
nails or not yet aware of the forging process. Thus, all separate elements
functioned as a solid component which was getting the tolerances and strength
of the raw wood. At the final stage of construction, shipwrights, insulates the
hull of the vessel with tar and freeboard
with tallow. This technique was maintained until the mid-Byzantine
period, where the cost (materials and labor), became unprofitable.
The types
of vessels in that period were two: The
strongylai (sort ) and the long ships.
The first type mainly involved commercial vessels (Kyrenia Trade ship) and the
second type included naval designs for longer trips and expeditionary purposes.
Such a
sample of ship type is the monoreme pentikontoros. This type of ship was used by Jason and the Argonauts during
their campaign .These vessels had a crew of 30 to 50, had two side rudders at
the stern and a simple auxiliary sail.
According to illustrations on ancient vases, bow was round and raised and stern
was the end of the keel. The length to width ratio is calculated at 1/6, which
is why they belong to long ship type. They additionally characterized as fast boats. From the second
definition is concluded that it should
not have a deep draft. Besides the Greek name "Argo", is translated
as go-fast.
The basic
structural parts of the ship were:
keel
(keel), the esotropion/ keelson (connecting element between the two parts of
the keel), steira (vertical foremost cutwater),
the efolkio (embankment of the stem), the hull (made of pine, with the “shell first method”),
benches and footrests of rowers (functioned as reinforcement structure ), the diazoma/walkway
which was
placed in the center of the ship from bow
to stern, and finally the mast with a single square sail. From the height of
the handrail and above there was a difrakto (double row of railings mounted on
wooden poles), which connected the "castle" of bow with the net of the stern.
Mythological references
The legend
says that in 1400 b.c Argos was instructed by Jason in order to build a monoreme pentikontoros for the Argonauts Campaign. This boat, a typical
example of that time, was manned by fifty rowers, twenty five in each side and had a simple
auxiliary sail. It was constructed by the wood of Pelion, the sanctuary mount of Centaurs, with the
help of the goddess Athena. It was named
Argo, which meant go fast. There wasn’t any metal point (nail), but as it was used at
that time, the individual parts were joined by mortise and tenons.
What is
myth and what is reality, was lost in these 3500 years that have passed. The
Argonaut Campaign is described in the Argonautica text of Apollonius Rhodius.
These epics, reveal to us the residents’ lives and habits of that era. The
golden fleece may not existed, but the quest for precious and semi-precious metals
and commercial goods in other places make voyages like this a
reality.
At the same
time, we are aware of the presence of gold in the Colchis region. Metals were particularly useful for weapons or other daily
needs. This perhaps is the reason why ships were constructed entirely by wood,
saving valuable copper and iron stock for armor forging.
Archaeologists
have not found any evidence of the ship (which is rather logical for the age of
such a wreck) but the absence of evidence does not mean that Argo ship is a
myth. Excavations reveal ancient vases reflecting the form of ships as Argo and
Argonauts in various activities.
Also Herodotus
describes in his IV volume of ancient Greek history : ". …Ιήσονα, έπειτεοι εξεργάσθη υπό τω Πηλίω η Αργώ.. ", that translated as :"
... because Jason built Argo at the foot
of Mount Pelion "
The kit
With this
kit, we are trying to convey in scale, the style of construction of a vessel of
the 14th B.C. As material of construction we chose to use wood
(lime wood), not plywood. The method of construction of the model, represents the
technique they built the vessels of the era and does not require any metal
element. The method of "shell first", has been presented and been
documented by archaeologists and naval architects in thematic conferences. This
is offered for first time, as a wooden kit.
Navarino
models 2016