Roman antiquities: or, An account of the manners and customs of the Romans; . or scalmorumnavis. The place where the oars were put, when the rowerswere done working, was called casteria.^ On the stern was the rudder (gubernaculum vel clavus), andthe pilot (gubernator) who directed it. Some ships had two rudders, one on each end, and two proAvs,so that they might be moved either way without turning, muchused by the Germans, and on the Pontus Euxinus, or Black Sea,called camar.^,^ because in a swelling sea they were coveredwith boards like the vaulted roof of a house: * hence camaritcB,the name
Roman antiquities: or, An account of the manners and customs of the Romans; . or scalmorumnavis. The place where the oars were put, when the rowerswere done working, was called casteria.^ On the stern was the rudder (gubernaculum vel clavus), andthe pilot (gubernator) who directed it. Some ships had two rudders, one on each end, and two proAvs,so that they might be moved either way without turning, muchused by the Germans, and on the Pontus Euxinus, or Black Sea,called camar.^,^ because in a swelling sea they were coveredwith boards like the vaulted roof of a house: * hence camaritcB,the name of a people bordering on the Black Sea.^ On the middle of theship was erected the mast(malus), which was rais-ed^ when the ship lefttlie harbour, and takendown when it approach-ed the land; the placewhere it stood was calledMODius.^ The ships ofthe ancients had only onemast. On the mast were fixedthe sail-yards ( brachia), and the sails(vela) fastened by ropes(funes vel rudentes). Im-mittere rudentes, to loosen all the cordage; pandere vtla, tospread the sails.^. 1 The oars employed bythe ancients in rowingare not described byany of the ancient au-tliors, it may be reck-oned best, therefore, toapply for informationto the moderns, andfollow Isaac Vossiusin his description ofthe oars in use in theMediterranean galleysof his time. Therewas, in all probability,very little alteration in their construction fromtheir first use until thepresent time. It beingsimple in itself, andonly adapted to oneobject, its improve-ment must have beenrapid, and when foundquite efficient, therewas no inducement toalter it. Thus an oarof thirty-six feet longA to B, has from A toC a space of elevenfeet within the galley ; it is hung upon thescalmi by the thong atG ; it is here extremelythick, nine inches indiameter, and as thehand could not graspit, there is a handlefixed upon it, DD. Itextends within to aboutthree feet of the scal-mi Plaut. As. iii. 1. xix. 4. Cic.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade183, bookpublisheretcetc, bookyear1835
