Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

NAVIS. NAVIS. 787
Connected with the E/t~oAos was the rpoeupoAts, sometmhnes represented on medals holding the
which according to Pollux (i. 85) must have been aplustre in his right hand, as in the annexed wooda wooden part of the vessel in the prow above the cut; and in the celebrated Apotheosis of Homer,
beak, and was probably the same as the errcor'tes, now in the British Museum, the female personating
and intended to ward off the attack of the ~ucoXos the Odyssey exhibits the same emblem in referof a hostile ship. The command in the prow of a ence to the voyages of Odysseus.
vessel was exercised by an officer called 7rpwpeSs,
who seems to have been next in rank to the steersman, and to have had the care of the gear, and the
command over the rowers. (Xenoph. Oecon. vii.
14.)
2. Tle stern (7rp/~vxA, puppis) was generally
above the other parts of the deck, and in it the
helmsman had his elevated seat. It is seen in the
representations of ancient vessels to be rounder EC 5 AR D/VIf,
than the prow, though its extremity is likewise l1
sharp. The stern was, like the prow, adorned in
various ways, but especially with the image of the
tutelary deity of the vessel (gutela). In some representations a kind of roof is formed over the
head of the steersman, and the upper part of the
stern frequently has an elegant ornament called
arlustre, and in Greek AeAar'orv, which constituted the highest part of the poop. It formed a
corresponding ornament to the alcpoo'TAXlov at the
prow. At the junction of the aplustre with the 3. The -rpdchpn is the bulwark of the vessel, or
stern on which it was based, we commonly observe rather the uppermost edge of it. (Hesych. s. v.) Il
an ornament resembling a circular shield: this small boats the pegs (orcalAuot, scaleim) between
was called a&o'rLSELoY or a&'mrtion. It is seen on which the oars move, and to which they are fastthe two aplustria here represented. (Comp. Apol- ened by a thong (TrporMWra'p), were upon the'rpdcpl-s.
(BiJckh, Urk-und. p. 103.) In all other vessels the
oars passed through holes in the side of the vessel
(ofOaxeAoi, TrpiljaTa, or Trvg7rL7ara). (Schol.
Aristoph. Alcharn. 97, &c.)
4. The middle part of the deck in most ships of
war appears to have been raised above the bulwark
or at least to a level with its upper edge, and thus
4.t)/K/f} C enabled the soldiers to occupy a position from
which they could see far around and hurl their
darts against the enemy. Such an elevated deck
appears in. the annexed woodcut representing a
Moneris. In this instance the flag is standing
upon the hind-deck. (Mazois, Pomp. Part I. tab.
xxii. fIg. 2.)
lon. Rhod. i. 1089, ii. 601; Apollod. i. 9. 22;
Hem. I. xv. 716; Herod. vi. 114.) The aplustre
rose immediately behind the gubernator, and served
in some degree to protect him from wind and rain. t__.Sometimes there appears, beside the aplustre, a. =
pole, to which a fillet or pennon (vrauta) was attached, which served both to distinguish and adorn 5. One of the most interesting, as well as inithe vessel, and also to show the direction of the portant parts in the arrangements of the Biremes,
wind. In the column of Trajan, a lantern is sus- Triremes, &c., is the position of the ranks of
pendled from the aplustre so as to hang over the rowers, from which the ships themselves derive
deck before the helmsman. The aplustre com- their names. Various opinions have been entermnonly consisted of thin planks, and presented a tained by those who have written upon this subbroad surface to the sky. In consequence of its ject, as the information which ancient writers give
conspicuous place and beautiful form, the aplustre upon it is extremely scanty. Thus much, howwas often taken as the emblem of maritime affairs: ever, is certain, that the different ranks of rowers,
it was carried off in triumph by the victor in a who sat along the sides of a vessel, were placed
raval engagement (Juven. x. 135), and Neptune is one above the other. This seems at first sight
8n 2