86.—Prow of a Roman Galley.details

[Picture: 86.—Prow of a Roman Galley.]
previous image
up

Image title:

86.—Prow of a Roman Galley.

Taken from

Status:

Out of copyright (called public domain in the USA), hence royalty-free stock image for all purposes usage credit requested
Please do not redistribute without permission, since running this site is expensive.

Notes:


In the latter part of the summer of the year 55 B. C. (Halley, the astronomer, has gone far to prove that the exact day was the 26th of August), a Roman fleet crossed the Channel, bearing the infantry of two legions, about ten thousand men. This army was collected at the Portus Itius (Witsand), between Calais and Boulogne. Eighty galleys (Fig. 86) bore the invaders across the narrow seas. As they neared the white cliffs, which frowned upon their enterprise (Figs. 87, 88, 90), Cæsar beheld them covered with armed natives, ready to dispute his landing. The laurelled conqueror (Figs. 83, 84), who, according to Suetonius, only experienced three reverses during nine years’ command in Gaul, would not risk the Roman discipline against the British courage, on a coast thus girt with natural defences.” (p. 26)

Here we see the front of a boat (the prow of a ship), carved complete with a lizard or dragon at water-height. It is a galley, with a single row of oars. We cannot see the rowers: they are below the deck, and no doubt were slaves. We can, however, see the soldiers on deck with their decorated spears and their rifles. Er, no, wait, with their spears, that must be it, yes, spears.


See text in context

Keywords:

Place shown:

Filename:

0086-Prow-of-a-Roman-Galley-q75-500x375.jpg

Scanner dpi:

2400 dots per inch

Comment:

Download:

Similar images: