Syracusia
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Syracusia: A famous ship designed in c240 BC by Archimedes and built by Archias of Corinth for King Hieron II of Syracuse. Believed to have been 55 meters (180.4 feet) in length, it would have been the largest transport vessel ever built in antiquity. The Syracusia proved to be too large to be practical for the Syracusan ruler because its great size may it impossible to fit even the great harbor of Syracuse. Hieron finally gave the ship to his ally Ptolemy III of Egypt who renamed it the Alexandria.
The ship was a marvel even by today’s standards, built from pine and fir taken mostly from the slopes of Mt. Etna, and some secondary wood from mainland Italy. Cordage was brought from Spain, and hemp and pitch came from the Rhone valley in Gaul. In all, the equivalent of 60 conventional trireme ships went into the construction of the Syracusia. The labor of 300 shipwrights was engaged to create the ship. The planks of the ship’s hull were covered with plates of lead, and each plank was held together with brass nails. Propulsion for the ship was provided by 20 banks of oars.
The Syracusia contained eating salons, with enough room in each for 4 to 15 couches. There was a galley, a gymnasium, walkways, gardens, a library, baths, and even a shrine dedicated to Venus. The library had walls lined with well-made bookcases and a sundial on the roof. The ship had one of Archimedes’ water-lifting screws as a bilge pump. The ship had room for 142 passengers and 400 soldiers.
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