HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A ''navis lusoria'' (, plural ) is a type of a small military vessel of the late
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
that served as a
troop transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
. It was powered by about thirty soldier- oarsmen and an auxiliary
sail A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails ma ...
. Nimble, graceful, and of shallow draft, such a vessel was used on northern rivers close to the ''
Limes Germanicus The (Latin for ''Germanic frontier'') is the name given in modern times to a line of frontier () fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman Empire and the unsub ...
'', the Germanic border, and thus saw service on the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sour ...
and the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. The Roman historian
Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus (occasionally anglicised as Ammian) (born , died 400) was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). His work, known as the ''Res Gestae ...
mentioned the ''navis lusoria'' in his writings, but not much about it could be learned until the discovery of such boats at
Mainz, Germany Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Mainz ...
in 1981–82.


The Roman ships of Mainz

In November 1981, during excavation in the course of a construction of a Hilton Hotel at Mainz, wooden remains were found and identified as parts of an old ship. Before construction resumed three months later, the site yielded remnants of five ships that were dated to the 4th century using
dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
. The wrecks were measured, taken apart and, in 1992, brought to the
Museum of Ancient Seafaring The Museum of Ancient Seafaring (german: Museum für antike Schifffahrt) was installed in Mainz in 1994 in the former central covered market (before railway repair shop of the Hessian Ludwig Railway) near the South Station, nowadays Mainz Römische ...
(german: Museum für Antike Schifffahrt) of the Romano-Germanic Central Museum (''Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum'') for further preservation and study. Scientifically the wrecks were termed "Mainz 1" through "Mainz 5" and generally referred to as the "Mainzer Römerschiffe" (the Mainz Roman ships). They were identified as military vessels that belonged to the Roman flotilla in Germania, the
Classis Germanica The ''Classis Germanica'' was a Roman fleet in Germania Superior and Germania Inferior. Besides the Channel Fleet (''Classis Britannica''), it was one of the largest naval forces of the Roman Empire, ranking above all other provincial ...
. The vessels could be classified into two types, namely small troop transports (Mainz 1, 2, 4, 5) termed and a patrol vessel (Mainz 3). The ''lusoria'' is narrower than the ''
navis actuaria ''Navis actuaria'' (plural: ''naves actuariae'') was a type of transport ship used by the Roman navy. The ship had sails and up to 30 oars (15 on each side). They were short, narrow at bow and stern and wider midships. They were one of the faste ...
'', an earlier and wider type of Roman cargo vessel.


Reconstruction

A full-sized reconstructed vessel is on display at the Museum of Ancient Seafaring, Mainz, and serves as a representative of the ''lusoria''. For the reconstruction of this vessel specifically Mainz 1 and 5 served as templates. The replica measures while the
gunwale The gunwale () is the top edge of the hull of a ship or boat. Originally the structure was the "gun wale" on a sailing warship, a horizontal reinforcing band added at and above the level of a gun deck to offset the stresses created by firing a ...
measures . Again oak is used. The planks are thick, generally long and are carvel-built. The
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
is only thick and constructed of planks; it contains a central channel to collect water. There is no
keelson The keelson or kelson is a reinforcing structural member on top of the keel in the hull of a wooden vessel. In part V of “ Song of Myself”, American poet Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an Am ...
. The frames are placed apart corresponding to the measuring unit of a pes Drusianus. The frames hold the ship together. The mastframe contains a hole to place the mast. While the ship could be sailed, the main method of propulsion was rowing by one open row of oarsmen on each side. The gunwale displays an outside fender and is topped by a covering board. The covering board contains the support for the oars. The protective effect of the gunwales is further extended by the shields of the soldiers which were hung on the outside. Boats were steered by a double
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse ya ...
aft. Sails have not survived the centuries, so their reconstruction relies on ancient depictions. A ''navis lusoria'' was crewed by the steersman, two men to handle the sail, and about 30 soldiers who manned the oars. It has been calculated that the narrow and relatively long ''lusoria'' could attain a travel speed of and a maximum speed of . The significance of the findings led to the establishment of a specific research center to study Roman ship transport at the Romano-Germanic Central Museum and of the Museum of Ancient Seafaring as its parent division. The latter museum has been in operation since 1994 and displays replicas of the ''lusoria'' and the patrol vessel as well as original artefacts. It specializes in Roman shipbuilding and ship transport, in the Germanic provinces and in the whole empire.


Historical background

After the establishment of the military ''castrum'' (fort) of
Mogontiacum Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Mainz ...
(modern Mainz) in 13–12 BC, ships of the became stationed at its harbor. Mogontiacum soon became the capital of the Roman province of
Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesontio ...
and ships from its harbor could travel up and down the Rhine and east to the Main river. The military fleet was upgraded when the
Emperor Julian Julian ( la, Flavius Claudius Julianus; grc-gre, Ἰουλιανός ; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplaton ...
increased defensive measures along the Rhine in the 4th century, and Marcellinus reported that the Emperor had 40 ''lusoriae'' that were used for his troops at Mogontiacum. At that time the border was increasingly threatened, and ''lusoriae'' became useful to ship troops to outposts or to points of crisis. Eventually however,
Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...
s,
Suebi The Suebi (or Suebians, also spelled Suevi, Suavi) were a large group of Germanic peoples originally from the Elbe river region in what is now Germany and the Czech Republic. In the early Roman era they included many peoples with their own name ...
, and
Alans The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the Al ...
moved across the Rhine and sacked Mogontiacum in or about 407. As Roman control ended, the local Roman fleet decayed and, over time, became covered with debris, mud and earth.


Other reconstructions

The ''Regina'' is a reconstruction of a ''navis lusoria'' by students of the Department for Ancient History of the
University of Regensburg The University of Regensburg (german: link=no, Universität Regensburg) is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on 18 ...
. Launched in 2004, the boat was used to test its abilities in numerous trips along the
Naab __NOTOC__ The Naab (Czech: ''Nába'') is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and is a left tributary of the Danube. Including its main source river Waldnaab, it is long. Its average discharge at the mouth is . The Naab is formed by the confluence of ...
and
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. In 2006, the ''Regina'' travelled from
Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...
to
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...
covering distances of up to per day confirming that the vessel was speedy and demonstrating the great mobility the military could achieve by its use.


Literature

* Hans Ferkel, Heinrich Konen, Christoph Schäfer (Hrsg.): ''Navis lusoria. Ein Römerschiff in Regensburg''. Scripta-Mercaturae-Verl., St. Katharinen 2004, . * Christoph Schäfer: ''Lusoria. Ein Römerschiff im Experiment. Rekonstruktion, Tests, Ergebnisse''. Koehler, Hamburg 2008,
Information, in German
. * Ronald Bockius: ''Die spätrömischen Schiffswracks aus Mainz. Schiffsarchäologisch-technikgeschichtliche Untersuchungen spätantiker Schiffsfunde vom nördlichen Oberrhein.'' Verlag des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz, Mainz 2006, (''Monographien des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz.'' Band 67). * Barbara Pferdehirt: ''Das Museum für antike Schifffahrt. Ein Forschungsbericht des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums''. Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz 1995, .


References

{{Reflist


External links




Lusoria Rhenana


Galleys Ancient Roman ships Navy of ancient Rome Mainz Riverine warfare