It's Shipbuilded The "syracoussia", The Biger Ancient Recreation-ship, 240 B.C Options

[Eua1]

It's Shipbuilded the "Syracoussia", the biger Ancient Recreation-ship
240 B.C


imaginary image of Syracousia, 18th century

During the Hellenistic period and among the ancestors and the rulers of the Great Alexander, tremendous empire, was developed an endless and exhaustive competition for the building of huge ships with large cappacity (those ships were mostly war - ships and recreation - ships). In a very short time, this led to a dead-end, however it left us a the description of those large ships that, even in ourdays, impresses. The most impressive one was a recreation - ship, named "Syracoussia" (the "lady of Syracousses"). This ship combined the comfort with the transportance of goods (merchand - ship)and the evolution in the war - art at the same time. Moschion wrote a unique description of the ship which, unfortunately, was lost. However an extensive summary of this description was preserved by Athinaios.

Syracoussia's shipbuilder was Archias by order of Hieronas, the tyrant of Syracousses. The ship was 80m. length, of 4.000 tons displacement and was consisted by three decks. It needed as much timber as the building of 60 triremes. For its assemblance were needed nails of 660gr to 4.4 kilos weight (each one).

The upper deck was full of war - machines and it was guarded by a mighty military force.

The second deck was made for recreational facilities, it had luxurius constructions, a temple of godess Afrodite, baths, gyms, gardens, library, pergolas with climbin plants, a five - beds room of staying and many more that are impossible to be described.

The third deck was for the assistant - staff and there, were all the auxiliary rooms, the storehouses, the tools, the pumping - plant, the water - tank, the stables for the horses, the carpenter's workshops, the bakeries, the mills and even more.

Although this "vessel island" it could transported huge quantities of food, it was too slow - moving and it couldn't called at port because of its huge displacement. It made only one trip from Syracousses to Alexandria, where Hieronas gave it as a gift to Ptolemaios, who renamed it to "Alexandria"



imaginary image of Syracousia, 18th century

[SOURCE]Euaggelou Stamatis, "Archimidous Apanta" volume 'A, 41 - 51[/SOURCE]