第1段

Shipbuilding today is based on science and ships are built using computers and sophisticated tools. Shipbuilding in ancient Rome, however, was more of an art relying on estimation, inherited techniques and personal experience. The Romans were not traditionally sailors but mostly land-based people, who learned to build ships from the people that they conquered, namely the Greeks and the Egyptians.

第2段

There are a few surviving written documents that give descriptions and representations of ancient Roman ships, including the sails and rigging. Excavated vessels also provide some clues about ancient shipbuilding techniques. Studies of these have taught us that ancient Roman shipbuilders built the outer hull first, then proceeded with the frame and the rest of the ship. Planks used to build the outer hull were initially sewn together. Starting from the 6th century BCE, they were fixed using a method called mortise and tenon, whereby one plank locked into another without the need for stitching. Then in the first centuries of the current era, Mediterranean shipbuilders shifted to another shipbuilding method, still in use today, which consisted of building the frame first and then proceeding with the hull and the other components of the ship. This method was more systematic and dramatically shortened ship construction times. The ancient Romans built large merchant ships and warships whose size and technology were unequalled until the 16th century CE.

第3段

Warships were built to be lightweight and very speedy. They had to be able to sail near the coast, which is why they had no ballast or excess load and were built with a long, narrow hull. They did not sink when damaged and often would lie crippled on the sea’s surface following naval battles. They had a bronze battering ram, which was used to pierce the timber hulls or break the oars of enemy vessels. Warships used both wind (sails) and human power (oarsmen)and were therefore very fast. Eventually, Rome’s navy became the largest and most powerful in the Mediterranean, and the Romans had control over what they therefore called Mare Nostrum meaning ‘our sea’.

第4段

There were many kinds of warship. The ‘trireme’ was the dominant warship from the 7th to 4th century BCE. It had rowers in the top, middle and lower levels, and approximately 50 rowers in each bank. The rowers at the bottom had the most uncomfortable position as they were under the other rowers and were exposed to the water entering through the oar-holes. It is worth noting that contrary to popular perception, rowers were not slaves but mostly Roman citizens enrolled in the military. The trireme was superseded by larger ships with even more rowers.

第5段

Merchant ships were built to transport lots of cargo over long distances and at a reasonable cost. They had a wider hull, double planking and a solid interior for added stability. Unlike warships, their V-shaped hull was deep underwater, meaning that they could not sail too close to the coast. They usually had two huge side rudders located off the stern and controlled by a small tiller bar connected to a system of cables. They had from one to three masts with large square sails and a small triangular sail at the bow. Just like warships, merchant ships used oarsmen, but coordinating the hundreds of rowers in both types of ship was not an easy task. In order to assist them, music would be played on an instrument, and oars would then keep time with this.

第6段

The cargo on merchant ships included raw materials (e.g. iron bars, copper, marble and granite), and agricultural products (e.g. grain from Egypt’s Nile valley). During the Empire, Rome was a huge city by ancient standards of about one million inhabitants. Goods from all over the world would come to the city through the port of Pozzuoli situated west of the bay of Naples in Italy and through the gigantic port of Ostia situated at the mouth of the Tiber River. Large merchant ships would approach the destination port and, just like today, be intercepted by a number of towboats that would drag them to the quay.

第7段

The time of travel along the many sailing routes could vary widely. Navigation in ancient Rome did not rely on sophisticated instruments such as compasses but on experience, local knowledge and observation of natural phenomena. In conditions of good visibility, seamen in the Mediterranean often had the mainland or islands in sight, which greatly facilitated navigation. They sailed by noting their position relative to a succession of recognisable landmarks. When weather conditions were not good or where land was no longer visible, Roman mariners estimated directions from the pole star or, with less accuracy, from the Sun at noon. They also estimated directions relative to the wind and swell. Overall, shipping in ancient Roman times resembled shipping today with large vessels regularly crossing the seas and bringing supplies from their Empire.

今天的造船业基于科学，利用计算机和复杂的工具来建造船只。然而，古罗马的造船更多地是一门依靠估计、继承的技术和个人经验的艺术。罗马人传统上并不是水手，而是以陆地为主的人们，他们从征服的民族――希腊人和埃及人那里学会了造船技术。

有一些幸存的书面文献描述和描绘了古罗马船只，包括帆和索具。挖掘出来的船只也提供了一些关于古代造船技术的线索。研究这些船只告诉我们，古罗马造船工首先建造外壳，然后进行框架和船体的建造。最初，用于建造外壳的木板是用缝合在一起的。从公元前6世纪开始，它们使用了一种称为榫卯的方法固定，即一块木板插入另一块木板中，无需缝合。然后在公元前几个世纪，地中海造船工人转向了另一种至今仍在使用的造船方法，即先建造框架，然后进行船体和其他组成部分的建造。这种方法更加系统化，大大缩短了造船时间。古罗马人建造了规模庞大的商船和战船，其尺寸和术在16世纪才有所超越。

战船建造得很轻巧且速度非常快。它们必须能够靠近海岸航行，这就是为什么它们没有压舱物或过多的负载，并且建造了一个长而狭窄的船体。它们受损时不会沉没，经常在海面上瘫痪在海战后。它们有一个铜制的撞击锤，用于刺穿敌船的木船体或打断敌船的桨。战船既使用风帆也使用人力（桨手），因此非常快速。最终，罗马的海军成为地中海最大、最强大的海军，罗马人对他们称之为“我们的海洋”的“Mare Nostrum”拥有控制权。

有很多种战船。从公元前7世纪到公元前4世纪，“三层桨船”是主导性的战船。它在顶层、中层和底层都有桨手，在每一排大约有50个桨手。底层的桨手最不舒适，因为他们在其他桨手下面，并暴露在舷窗中进入水中。值得注意的是，与流行的观念相反，桨手并不是奴隶，而主要是罗马公民入伍。三层桨船被更大的船只取代。

商船是为了以合理的成本运输大量货物而建造的。它们有一个较宽的船体、双层胸板和坚固的内部以增加稳定性。与战船不同的是，它们的V形船体深入水中，意味着它们不能靠近海岸航行。它们通常有两个巨大的船舵位于船尾，并通过与一套缆绳相连的小舵杆控制。它们有一到三根带有大方帆的桅杆和船头的小三角帆。商船和战船一样都使用桨手，但是协调两种类型船只上的数百名桨手并不是一件容易的事。为了帮助他们，会在一种乐器上演奏音乐，桨手们会随之保持节奏。

商船上的货物包括原材料（例如铁条、铜、大理石和花岗岩）和农产品（例如埃及尼罗河谷的谷物）。在帝国时期，罗马是一个按古代标准来说规模庞大的城市，大约有一百万居民。来自世界各地的货物将通过位于意大利那不勒斯湾西部的波佐利港口和位于提比尔河口的巨大港口奥斯提亚进入这座城市。大型商船会接近目的地港口，就像今天一样，会被一些拖船拦截，并将它们拖到码头。

沿着许多航线的旅行时间可能差异很大。古罗马的航行不依赖于诸如指南针之类的复杂仪器，而是依靠经验、地方知识和对自然现象的观察。在良好的能见度条件下，地中海的船员通常能看见陆地或岛屿，这极大地促进了导航。他们通过注意相对于一系列可识别的地标的位置来航行。当天气条件不好或者陆地不再可见时，罗马水手从北极星或中午的太阳（精度较低）估计方向。他们还根据风向和浪涛估计方向。总体而言，古罗马时期的航运与今天的航运类似，大型船只定期穿越海洋，为他们的帝国带来供应。