Bird-Head Devices on Mediterranean Ships

References (71)

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6. Dakoronia, F. 197 1. Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Princeton. 1920. Nile Boats and Other Matters. Ancient Egypt: 2-9,40-51. 1970. Problems of Phoenicio-Punic Iconography -A Contribution. Australian Journal of Biblical Archaeology 113: 28-57. 1990. War-Ships on Sherds of LH Ill C Kraters from Kynos. In: Tropis I 1 (Proceedings of the Second lnternational Symposium on Ship Construction in Antiquity Delphi 27t h-29t h August 1987). Ed. H. Tzalas: 1 17-122. 1995. War-ships on Sherds of LHlll Kraters from Kynos? Editor's Note. In: Tropis 111 (Proceedings of the Third lnternational Symposium on Ship Construction in Antiquity, Athens, 24th -27th August 1989). Ed. H. Tzalas. Athens: 147-1 48.
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12. Gimbutas, M. 1989. The Language of the Goddess. New York. Gottlicher. A. Haddon, A.C. Hencken, H. Hopkins, C. Hornell, J. Ingholt, H. Johnson, J. 1 978. Materialien fiir ein Corpus der Schiffsmodele im Altertum. Mainz am R hein. 1937. The Canoes of Melanesia, Queensland and New Guinea. (B. P. Bishop Museum Special Publication XXVIII). In: A.C. Haddon and J. Hornell, Canoes of Oceania. Honolulu, 1975. 1968. Tarquinia, Villanovans and Early Etruscans 1-11. (Bulletin of the American School of Prehistoric Research XXIII). Cambridge. 1955. Oriental Evidence for Early Etruscan Chronology. Berytus 1 1 : 75-84. 1970. Water Transport. Newton Abbot. 1940. Rapport preliminaire sur sept campagnes de fouilles a Hama en Syrie (1 932-1938). Copenhagen. 1980. Maroni de Chypre. (Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology LIX). Goteborg.
13. Karageorghis, V., and J. des Gagniers 1974. La ceramique chypriote de style figure, ~g e d u fer(1050-500 Av. J.-C.) 1-11.
14. Rome. Kilian, K. Kirk. G.S. 1988. Ausgrabungen in Tiryns 198211 983: Bericht zu den Grabungen. Archaologischer Anzeiger 1 05-1 5 1 . 1949. Ships on Geometric Vases. Annual of the British School at Athens 44: 93-1 53, pls. 38-40.
15. Korres, G.S Lenz, J. 1989. Representation of a Late Mycenaean Ship on the Pyxis from Tragana, Pylos. In: Tropis I: Proceedings of the First lnternatimal Symposium on Ship Construction in Antiquity (Piraeus 30th August -1 st September 1985). Ed. H. Tzalas, Athens: 177-202. in press. Homer's "vrluoi ~o p w v i o ~" .
16. In: S. Wachsmann, Seagoing Ships and Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant. College Station.
17. Liddell, H.G. and R. Scott 1953. A Greek-English Lexicon. (Reprint: 1953). Oxford.
18. Marinatos, Sp. 1933. La marine creto-mycenienne. Bulletin de correspondance hellenique 57: 170-235.
19. Morrison. J.S. and R.T. Williams 1968. Greek Oared Ships: 900-322 B.C. Cambridge.
20. Nelson, H.H. et al. 1930. Medinet Habu I: Earlier Historical Records of Ramses 111. Chicago.
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22. Tushingham, A.D. 1971. God in a Boat. Australian Journal of Biblical Archaeology 1 /4:23-28.
23. Van Doorninck, F.H., Jr. 1982. Protogeometric Longships and the Introduction of the Ram. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 1 1 :277-286.
24. Wachsmann, S. 1981. The Ships of the Sea Peoples. lnternational Journal of Nautical Archaeology 10:187-220.
25. Wachsmann, S. . t Wachsmann, S. Wachsmann, S. Wachsmann, S. Westerberg, K. 1982. The Ships of the Sea Peoples. (IJNA 10.3:187-220): Additional Notes. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 1 1 :297-304. 1995. Earliest Mediterranean Paddled and Oared Ships to the Beginning of the Iron Age. In : Conway's History of the Ship: The Age of the Galley. London: 10-35. in press A. Seagoing Ships and Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant. College Station. in press 0. Were the Sea Peoples Mycecaeans? The Evidence of Ship Iconography. In: Res Maritimae 1994: Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean: Prehistory Through the Roman Period (18-22 October 1994, Nicosia, Cyprus). 1983. Cypriote Ships from the Bronze Age to c. 500 BC. (Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology, Pocket-books, XXII). Goteborg. ILLUSTRATIONS
26. Bird-head devices on the five depictions of a Sea Peaples' ship at Medinet Habu. After Nelson et al. 1930: pl. 39.
27. Bird-head stern ornaments on merchant craft. Ca. 1 st-2nd centuries AD. Arrows indicate the direction of travel. After Casson 1971: figs. 139,151,150,156,181 and 146.
28. Bird-head ornaments on merchant craft. Ca. 3rd century AD. Arrows indicate the direction of travel. After Casson 1971:figs. 147,179,147,147,149,148and 191.
29. A. Painted decoration, including a ship, depicted on a funerary urn found at Hama. Ca. 1200-1075 BC.
30. Detail of the ship. Note the bird-head device capping the stem. After lngholt 1940: pl. XXll:2;
31. Bronze "bird-boat" ornament from Somes River at Satu Mare in Northern Rumania. European Bronze D (?). After Gottlicher 1978: Taf. 33: 439.
32. Bronze "bird-boatnornament from Velem St. Vid in Hungary. European Bronze D (?). After Gottlicher 1978: Taf. 34:440. TROPlS IV transformation of a naturalistic bird head (A) to a stylized (B), and then abstract (C) sternpost device. After Karageorghis and des Gagniers 1974: 122-1 23 nos. XI: 2,3, 1. Ship depicted on sherds from Aegina bears a bird-head stem device. Middle Helladic. After Buchholz and Karageorghis 1973: 301 fig. 869. Ship devices in the form of birds: A. Bird stem -ornament on a ship krater from Enkomi. Late Helladic Ill B. B. Ship's bird stem -ornament on a pyxis from Tragana. Late Helladic Ill C. C. Bird ornament on the stem of a ship depicted on a Geometric Attic skyphos. Ca. 735-71 0 BC.
33. D. Bird ornament portrayed twice on the sternpost of the same ship portrayed on a Geometric Attic krater. Ca. 735-710 BC. A after Sjoqvist 1940: fig 20:3. B after Korres 1989: 200 C-D after Casson 1971 : 30,6566. Birds on the stem and sternposts of an Archaic galley. Note how the shape of the stem device imitates the bird's head and neck. Ca. 700-650 BC. After Morrison and Williams 1968: pl. 8: d.
34. A. Stem decoration from Walckenaer Bay, Netherlands Papua. B. Side view of a small canoe with bird device from Papua. C. Ornaments on a.0ra canoe from the Solomon Islands. D. Figurehead of an Arab ganja.
35. A-C after Haddon 1937: 317fig. 180: a, 316 fig. 179: c, 88 fig. 59: a. D after Hornell 1970: 236 fig. 46.
36. A. Bird-head decorations on a small canoe from Papua.
37. B. Bow of aseagoing outrigger canoe (nimbembew). South-western Maleluka, New Hebrides. After Haddon 1937: 316 fig. 179: a, 22 fig. 12. Canoes of Atchin, New Hebrides.
38. A. Large seagoing canoe with ordinary, single beaked solub e res figureheads. B. Coastal canoe with double bird-head solub wok wak figurehead. After Haddon 1937: 27 fig. 15: b, a. Terra-cotta ship model from Tiryns. Late Helladic Ill B. After Kilian 1988: 140 fig. 37: 8.
39. Askos in the form of a ship, from Lapithos. A bird-head ornament tops the stem and faces inward, toward the stern. Late Cypriot Ill. After Gottlicher 1978: Taf. 9: 149.
40. Bird-head stem of sternpost ornament of a ship model. From Maroni, Tomb 17, Cyprus. Late Helladic IIIA: 2. After Johnson 1980: pl. LXIII: 132.
41. A. One of two ships depicted on a Protogeometric krater from Fortetsa, Crete. The bird-head devices capping the stem and sternpost are compared to the device on one of the Kynos ships (see Figure 42: C).
42. B. Ship painted on a Protogeometric krater from Dirmil, Turkey. A after kirk 1949: 119 fig. 6. B after van Doorninck 1982B: 279 fig. 3. Abstract bird-head ornaments in the form of a compound curve topping the stem and sternposts of representations of Geometric warships. 8th century BC. A after Gottlicher 1978: Taf. 25: 338-339.6-C after Casson 1971 :figs. 72 and 65. Bird-head stem ornament on a Geometric aphract galley. Ca. 725-700 BC. After Casson 1971 : fig. 64.
43. A. Bird in front of Geometricgalley on an Attic krater. Ca. 760-735 BC.
44. Bird behind a Geometric galley on the same krater.
45. C. Long-necked bird before the bow of a Geometric galley. The ship's stem device copies the shape of the bird's head and neck. Ca. 735-71 0 BC.
46. D. Galley with stem and stern decorations in the shape of abstract birds' heads. Ca. 760-735 BC. A and B after Morrison and Williams 1968: pl. 2: c-d; C and Dafter Casson 1971 : 74 and 62.
47. Bird-head decoration on an Archaic galley. Ca. 700-650 BC. After Morrison and Williams 1968: pl. 8: b.
48. A-C. Abstract bird-head stem decorations on Greek warships. A ca. 510 BC;
49. B ca. 520-480 BC; ca. 400-322 BC. The device on ship B is compared to the bird-head device on the stem of the Skyros ship (see Figure 14).
50. D. Abstract bird-head stem decoration ca. 2nd century BC.
51. Aand C after Morrison and Williams 1968: pls. 20: e, 27: a. B and Dafter Casson 1971:figs. 84, 176.
52. A. Bird-head stern decorations on Greek warships. Ca 530-480 BC.
53. Stern of an Archaic galley on an ivory plaque from the Temple of Artemis Orthia in Sparta. Ca. 650-600 BC.
54. C-D. Stern decoration on archaic Attic black-figure (C) volute krater and (D) hydria. Ca. 600-550 BC. A after Casson 1971 : fig. 90.6-D after Morrison and Williams 1968: pls. 10: d, 11 : a, d.
55. Sixth-century BC stern decorations on Archaic galleys in the form of a bird's head develop into an inward curving stern volute. A-D ca. 550-530 BC; E-H ca. 530-510 BC; I ca. 510 BC.
56. After Morrison and Williams 1968: pls. 14: g, 13, 14: b, a; 17: d, c, a, e; 18: d. Sixth-century BC stern bird-head devices on Archaicgalleys. Note that in C the device has developed into an inward curving volute. A-B ca. 510 BC; C -D ca. 520-480 BC; E ca. 530-480 BC. F ca. 600-550 BC. A to E after Morrison and Williams 1968: pls. 18: a, b; 21 : b, d; 16: c; F after Casson 1971 : fig. 83: Aphlastaon Greek and Roman warships. A ca. 480-400 BC. B ca. 200 BC. ca. 2nd century AD. Aafter Morrison and Williams 1968: pl. 26: a. 6-C after Casson NOTES
57. Wachsmann 1981 ; 1982. See also Wachsrnann 1995: 25-33; in press A; in press B. 2. Dakoronia 1990: 122 fig. 2; 1995.
58. Casson (1971 : 348 and fig. 147-center) identifies this as a "pennant on a short pole socketed into the top of the stempost". This is not a ship's light in the form of a torch. While ships carried lights in their stern, these were placed in lanterns (Casson 1971 : 247-248 ns. 91-92).
59. --" ---. BIRD-HEAD DEVICES ON MEDITERRANEAN SHIPS ------------ - ---- Wachsmann 1981 : 205-206, with additional bibliography listed there. Hencken 1968: 568-570,627. De Boer (1 991) suggests a possible Thracian connection for the Sea Peoples. Bouzek 1985: 178. The Br D may be somewhat higher than previously thought (Bouzek 1994:217). Culican 1970; Tushingham 1971. Hencken 1968: 537 fig. 486. Marinatos 1933: 173 no. 16 and fn. 1,218-21 9. These sherds have been lost. Hencken 1968: 519-531.
60. In Figures 30-31,33: D, 36: A, C-D and 37: B, which depict ships with abstract bird-head devices, I have included for further clarification, copies of the bird-head device from Figure 20: A to illustrate the direction of the head in each case. Similarly, in figure 30: A copies of the bird-head device on one of the Kynos ships (Fig. 42: C) have been appended at either side and in Figure 36: B a copy of the device on the Skyros ship (Fig. 14) is included. As, for example, does Artzi (1987: 80).
61. Korres, 1990: 199-200,202.
62. Furumark, 1941: 253 fig. 30.255fig. 31: nos. 36-52; Benson 1961; Dothan 1982: 201-202 figs. 61 -63. The festive bird shaped stem decorations portrayed on Late Bronze Age MinoanICycladic craft represent a swallow, as is evident from the bowsprit of one of the ships taking part in the festive race at Thera (Basch 1987: 107 figs. 192-193). These were apparently connected to the craft during festivities and were not a normal fixture on the bow. The Helladic ornament, on the other hand, represents a water bird and seems to have been a permanent fixture on the stem and sternposts of Helladic oared galleys. Hencken 1968: 537 fig. 486; Wachsmann 1981 : 202-203 figs. 17-18; Kilian 1988: 122- 123; Dakoronia 1990: 122 figs. 1-2. For photographs of the ships see Wachsmann 1982: 299-303 figs. 1-5 A similar, although earlier (Late Helladic Ill A:2), bird-head device that originally capped the stem or sternpost of a terra-cotta ship model was found at Maroni in Cyprus; however, it is unclear if this faced inboard or outboard (Fig. 29).
63. Kirk 1949: 118-1 19 fig. 6; Morrison and Williams 1968: 12 (Geom. 1);
64. Casson 1971: 36, fig. 60; van Doorninck 1982.
65. 18.338; Od. 19: 182, 193. Liddel and Scott 1953: S.V. fl ~opcjvq. It is possible that this is a deliberate play on the two s~milar words and that the term implies "having curved extremities that are bird-shaped" (Lenz, in press). Morrison and Williams 1968: pls. 1 : e, 2: a, 4: c. Casson 1971 : 57-58 fn. 80. Morrison and Williams 1968: 73 (Arch. 2), pl. 8: b. Haddon 1937: 88. Morrison and Williams 1968: pls. 2: a, 4: a, c. Casson 1971 :fig. 29; Buchholz and Karageorghis 1973: 470 fig. 1720. Broodbank 1989: 328. Haddon 1937: 28. Svoronos 1914: 127. Hornell 1970: 271. Bishop 1938: 415. Hornell 1970: 272-273. Hornell 1970: 275.
66. Interestingly, when Greek ship names become available in the 4th century BC, with the exception of the Argo, they are feminine in gender (Casson 1971 : 346 n. 10,350-354).
67. Egypt has been suggested as the ultimate source for the European bird and sun-disk design (Hopkins 1955: 78-80; 1957: 334-335). This seems most unlikely.
68. Compare a somewhat similar figure painted on a Daunian dish from Siponto in southeastern Italy of 6th-5th century BC date (Gimbutas 1989: 16 fig. 26: 8).
69. A better preserved, though less decorated, version of this motif is also known (Nefer: 10).
70. Casson 1971 : 348: 15.
71. Clarke 1920: 51.