Lake Nemi Roman Shipwrecks

• The Lake Nemi Roman Shipwrecks were two giant vessels constructed as floating palaces for the Emperor Caligula (37-41 CE), recovered from Lake Nemi between 1929-1933.
• The Museo delle Navi di Nemi is located beside Lake Nemi. Although the shipwrecks were burnt during WWII, the Museum contains a 1:5 scale model of each ship.

Museum

• Museo delle Navi di Nemi
  • Location: beside Lake Nemi on Via Diana, 13, Nemi, Italy.
  • Although the original shipwrecks were burnt during WWII, the Museum contains a 1:5 scale model of both ships.

History

• Sometime between 37-41 CE, Caligula had two giant Vessels constructed on Lake Nemi, located 19 miles (30 km) south of Rome.
• Lake Nemi is in a volcanic crater and has a maximum depth of 108 ft (33m). The lake was known to the Romans as ‘The Mirror of Diana’ (Speculum Dianae).
• One ship was a built as a Temple to Diana.
• The other ship was a floating Palace with marble floors.
• They were sunk after the assassination of Caligula.
• The ships were resting at a depth of 60 ft (18.3m).
• The Lake was drained and the ships were salvaged in 1933.
• However, in 1944 during World War II, the ships inside the museum were burnt.
• The vessels were found to contain technology not previously thought to be known during the Roman period.

The Prima Nave (First Ship)

• 230 feet (70m) long and 66 feet (20m) wide.
• Both vessels had flat hulls with what appears to be approximately 8-10 feet of draught.

The Secunda Nave (Second Ship)

• 240 feet (73m) long, and 79 feet (24m) wide.

Giant Ships known in Roman Literature

1. Lucian‘s description of a Grain Ship (c.150 CE)

• • In c. 150 CE, the author Lucian went to see a Grain Ship called the ‘Isis’ in Athens’ harbour, the Piraeus.
  • He describes its length as 180 ft (55 m) and width as c. 45 ft (13.5 m), or more than a quarter of its length. Its depth was 43 ft (13 m)

1. Caligula's Giant Ship

• • The Lake Nemi ships, although huge, were smaller than Caligula's Giant Ship which was built to ship the Vaticano Obelisk from Egypt.
  • The ship was found during excavations to build Rome Fiumicino airport.
  • The length of Caligula's Giant Ship was between 312-341 ft (95-104 m) and the width was 66 ft (20 m).
  • It had a height of six decks and was one of two giant vessels constructed by Caligula to transport the Vaticano Obelisk from Egypt to Rome in 37 CE.
  • The second vessel was moored at Puteoli where it caught fire and burned during Caligula‘s reign.

Small boat

• Also, near the two large ships was a 32 ft (10m) long vessel with pointed bows and a square stern, sunk by loading with stones, and thought to date to the same period as the other two.

Giant Anchors

• The vessels were discovered each with their large Roman Anchors intact, one consisting of a lead stock and iron tipped flukes, with its rope cable still attached.

Roman Rudders

• The vessels had also preserved their Roman Rudder.

Grappling Irons

• A large quantity of grappling irons were found in both ships.

Rotating Platforms

• Each ship had a circular platform that rotated on ball bearings, one on spherical bearings the other on cylindrical bearings.

Construction

• The Ships were built using the Vitruvian Method of Shipbuilding, which is hull first, carvel construction, with mortise and tenon joints using wooden pegs.
• Oak, pine and cedarwood were all used in the construction.

Lead sheathing

• The hulls and keels of both ships were prepared with a tarred material then sheathed in three layers of lead nailed on with bronze flat headed nails.
• There are no shipworms that bore into wooden hulls in fresh water lakes, so although unnecessary, this may have been standard construction for Roman sea-going vessels.

Books

• Le Nave di Nemi Roma 1983 by Guido Uccelli.
  • This book contains a detailed description about the excavation and of all the artefacts that were retrieved.

Other Roman Ship Museums

• Museum of the Roman Ships, Museo della Nave, Fiumicino, Rome.
  • The Museum has reconstructed five Roman vessels.
• Historic Ship Museum of Pisa
  • Whilst excavating the new Pisa railway station in 1998, thirty Roman ships were uncovered, all of which had sunk intact.
  • They had sunk between the 3rd century BCE to the 7th century CE, covering a period of 1,000 years.
  • The remains of the ships and their cargos are on display in the Museum.
• Mainz Ancient Ship Museum
  • Between 1981-1982, five roman  military ships and two roman cargo vessels were found buried in the river mud during a building excavation.
  • The Museum contains reconstructions of a Roman naval galley, Navis Lusoria, and a cargo galley, both found buried beside the River Rhine.

Lake Nemi Ship Museum, Rome