''Alkedo'' is a preserved
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
shipwreck
A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...
that sank in the 1st century AD,
and was discovered during a construction project in
Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Excavation
In 1998 construction began on a control center for the Rome-Genoa train line at San Rossore, and during the project a series of shipwrecks were discovered.
In total over thirty shipwrecks were discovered on the site, including ''Alkedo''.
Characteristics
Constructed of
holm oak and
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
, with an insert in the bow made of
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
, it was rowed by twelve
oarsmen, and used as a pleasure craft.
The ship's nearly intact hull has been preserved well enough to make out the inscription on a tablet nailed to one of the
rower's benches; the inscription states the five letters that make up the word "ALK (E) DO". Translated from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
to mean "seagull", which is thought to be the name of the ship.
Traces of red and white were visible on the external sides of the ship during its excavation, which indicates it was once painted.
It is displayed next to a full size replica in the
Museum of Ancient Ships in Pisa, Italy.
See also
* ''
Arles Rhône 3
''Arles Rhône 3'' is an ancient Roman boat discovered in 2004, with parts of it only below the surface in the Rhône River of Arles, France. In the 1st century AD, it had been a long river trading vessel. It has been displayed since 2013 at t ...
''
* ''
Marsala Ship
The Marsala Punic shipwreck is a third-century-BC shipwreck of two Punic ships. The wreck was discovered in 1969, off the shore of Isola Lunga, not far from Marsala on the western coast of Sicily. It was excavated from 1971 onwards''.'' The excava ...
''
*''
Roman ship of Marausa''
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)
1998 archaeological discoveries
Ancient Roman ships
Ancient shipwrecks
Shipwrecks of Italy
Archaeological discoveries in Italy
Roman archaeology
Ships preserved in museums