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

NAVIS. NAVIS.-, 91
of sevcral thinner ones. (Aristoph. Pax, 36; they first appear to have become aware of the
Varro, de Re Rust. i. 135; Biickh, pp. 161-166.) importance of a fleet, was during the second
7. The anchor (ayc6pa, ancora.) We have al- Samnite war, in the year B. c. 311. Livy (ix. 30),
ready remarked that in the Homeric age, anchors where he mentions this event, says: duumzviri
were not known, and large stones (eiyal, sleepers) navales classis ornandae reficiendaeque causa were
used in their stead. (Horn. 11. i. 436, xiv. 77, Od. then for the first time appointed by the people. This
ix. 137, xv. 498.) According to Pliny (H. N. 57), expression suggests that a fleet had been in existthe anchor was first invented by Eupalamus and ence before, and that the duumviri navales had been
afterwards improved by Anacharsis. Afterwards, previously appointed by some other power. [DUUMwhen anchors were used, they were generally made VIRI.] But Niebuhr (Hist. of Rome, iii. p. 282),
of iron, and their form, as may be seen from the thinks that the expression of Livy only means,.
annexed figure, taken from a coin, resembled that that at this time the Romans resolved to build'
of a modern anchor. (Comp. Virg. Aen. i. 169, their first fleet. The idea of founding a navy was
probably connected with the establishment of a
colony in the Pontian islands, as the Romans at
this time must have felt that they ought not to be
defenceless at sea. The ships which the Romans
now built were undoubtedly Triremes, which were
then very common among the Greeks of Italy, and
most of them were perhaps furnished by the Italian
towns subject to Rome. This fleet, however insignificant it may have been, continued to be kept
up until the time when Rome became a real maritinme power. This was the time of the first Punic
war. That their naval power until then was of no
vi. 3.) Such an anchor was often termed bidenzs, importance, is clear from Polybius (i. 20), who
Srxir, &aupifoXeos or &/io-Tro'os, because it had speaks as if the Romans had been totally untwo teeth or flukes; but sometimes it had only acquainted with the sea up to that time. In the
one, and was then called E'epoo'dgros. The tech- year B. c. 260, when the Romans saw that without
nical expressions in the use of the anchor are: a navy they could not carry on the war against
ancoram solvere, yat'paV XaXav, to loose the Carthage with any advantage, the senate ordained
anchor; ancorasm jacere, &yicvpav, 8daXXeut or tlfr- that a fleet should be built. Triremes would now
TveV, to cast anchor; and ancoramz tollere, aymcnpav have been of no avail against the high-bulwarked
ai'pesm or aivopeoOam, to weigh anchor, whence vessels (Quinqueremes) of the Carthaginians. But
auses', by itself means " to set sail," &ylcpav the Romans would have been unable to build others
being understood. The following figure, taken had not fortunately a Carthaginian Quinquereme
from a marble at Rome, shows the cable (funis), been wrecked on the coast of Bruttium, and fallen
passing through a hole in the prow (ocuelzs). Each into their hands. This wreck the Romans took as
their model, and after it built 120 (Polyb. 1. c.), or
according to others (Oros. iv. 7) 130 ships. According to Polybius one hundred of them were' evr7pEtLS, and the remaining twenty Trpl'pesLS, or,
as Niebuhr proposes to read, TreTrpipers. This
large fleet was completed within sixty days after
the trees had been cut down. (Plin. H. N. xvi.
74.) The ships, built of green timber in this hurried way, were very clumsily made, and not likely
to last for any time; and the Romans themselves,
for want of practice in naval affairs, proved very
for seventeen ships were taken and destroyed by
#X'7 — -//lV\ the Carthaginians off Messina. (Polyb. i. 21;
-__'~- ~-~- ~,~,_ A~ ~APolyaen..Stat. vi. 16; Oros. iv. 7.) C. Duilius,
-.. -e a - F. who perceived the disadvantage with which his
countrymen had to struggle at sea, devised a plan
ship of course had several anchlors;the one in which enabled them to change a sea fight, as it
which St. Paul sailed had four (Acts, xxvii. 29), were, into a fight on land. The machine, by which
and others had eight. (Athen. v. 43.) The last or this was effected, was afterwards called corevs,
nost powerful anchor, "the last hope," was called and is described by Polybius (i. 22; comp. Nieepd, sacene, and persons trying their last hope were buhr, iii. p. 678, &c.; CoaRvvs). From this time
said sarne solveres. To indicate where the anchor forward the Romans continued to keep up a power'lay, a bundle of cork floated over it on the surface ful navv. Towards the end of the Republic they
of the waters. (Pans. viii. 12; Plin. H. N. also increased the size oftheirhips, and built war
Xvi. 8.) vessels of from six to ten ordines of rowers. (FloThe preceding account of the different parts of nrs, iv. 11; Virg. Aen. viii. 691.) The construethe ship will be rendered still clearer by the tion of their ships, however, scarcely differed from
drawing on the following page, in which it is at- that of Greek vessels; the only great difference
tempted to give a restoration of an ancient ship. was that the Roman galleys were provided with a
The Romans in the earlier period of their his- greater variety of destructive engines of war than
tory never conceived the idea of increasing their those of the Greeks. They even erected turres
power by the formation of a fleet. The time when and tabulata upon the decks of their great men-of3r 4