Archaic Ship Graffiti from Southern Attica, Greece: typology and preliminary contextual analysis

Abstract

Since 1994 almost 2000 ancient rupestral engravings, both verbal and pictorial, have been discovered in southern Attica. These include about 200 depictions of warships, merchantmen, and smaller vessels of various types. These engravings are dated to the 6th century BC on the basis of their style and the formal characteristics of their associated inscriptions. They contain the earliest‐known labelled images of the Greek ship types triakonter, pentekonter, and holkas, as well as the earliest depictions of two‐masted merchantmen, and possibly Greek triremes. They also include the earliest images of the three‐pronged ram and of the spur of a merchantman used as a cutwater, as well as possibly the earliest depictions of lead sheathing and of the spritsail.

抽象

希腊南阿提卡古代船像雕刻画:类型学与初步语境分析

自1994年起在南阿提卡地区发现了-2000个古代岩刻, 包含文字与绘画两种形式。其中大约有200个有关战舰、商船及各种小型船只的描述。根据这些岩刻的风格与相关铭文的形式特征, 其年代在公元前6世纪。这-雕刻画包括了已知最早的希腊三十桨帆船 (triakonter) 、五十桨帆船 (pentekonter) 、拖曳商船 (holkas) 的分类图像, 以及最早的双桅商船和可能是希腊三层桨座战船的描述。雕刻画中还有最早的三叉桨及商船上马刺形船首破浪材的图像, 和可能是最早的关于斜杠帆的记述。

希臘南阿提卡古代船像雕刻畫:類型學與初步語境分析

自1994年起在南阿提卡地區發現了-2000個古代岩刻, 包含文字與繪畫兩種形式。其中大約有200個有關戰艦、商船及各種小型船只的描述。根據這些岩刻的風格與相關銘文的形式特征, 其年代在公元前6世紀。這-雕刻畫包括了已知最早的希臘三十槳帆船 (triakonter) 、五十槳帆船 (pentekonter) 、拖曳商船 (holkas) 的分類圖像, 以及最早的雙桅商船和可能是希臘三層槳座戰船的描述。雕刻畫中還有最早的三叉槳及商船上馬刺形船首破浪材的圖像, 和可能是最早的關于斜杠帆的記述。

Abstracto

Grafitis arcaicos de barcos de Ática Sur, Grecia: tipología y análisis contextual preliminar

Desde 1994 casi 2000 grabados rupestres, verbales y pictóricos han sido descubiertos en Ática Sur. Estos incluyen alrededor de 200 representaciones de naves de guerra, mercantes y embarcaciones menores de varios tipos. Estos grabados fueron fechados como pertenecientes al siglo 6 a.C. con base en su estilo y en las características formales de sus inscripciones asociadas. Contienen las imágenes más tempranas de los tipos de embarcaciones griegas clasificadas como triakonter, pentekonter y holkas, así como las primeras representaciones de mercantes de dos mástiles y, posiblemente, trirremes griegas. También incluyen las imágenes más tempranas de espolones de prolongación triple y del espolón de un mercante empleado como tajamar y, además, la representación más temprana de una vela tarquina.

Traducción: Ricardo Borrero

Key words:

• ship graffiti
• triakonter
• pentekonter
• trireme
• holkas
• anchor

Acknowledgements

The authors warmly thank Stella Demesticha for organizing the Karavoi conference on ship graffiti at the University of Cyprus in October 2016, at which these findings were presented, and the participants of the conference for stimulating discussions. We are grateful to Wendy van Duivenvoorde of Flinders University, Australia, for providing valuable information regarding ancient anchors. We also thank our anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions. Any remaining inadequacies are entirely ours.

Notes

1. In archaic informal writing, the direction and the orientation of letters was not standardized and could vary within the same graffito without any obvious reason.

2. The rocks have been given provisional labels. Those labels may be changed in the final publication of the Vari‐Vouliagmeni rupestral engravings, which currently is being prepared by M. Langdon.

3. It is a matter of debate whether Athenian aristocrats in the 6th century BC owned warships or sponsored them on behalf of the state (see Gabrielsen, 2010: 24–26).

4. The primary meaning of the Greek verb graphein is ‘to engrave, to scratch’. The meanings ‘to draw’ and ‘to write’ are secondary.