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''Olympias'' is a reconstruction of an ancient Athenian trireme and an important example of experimental archaeology. It is also a commissioned ship in the Greek Navy, the only commissioned vessel of its kind in any of the world's navies. == History == It was constructed from 1985 to 1987 by a shipbuilder in Piraeus. The ship was built to drawings by the naval architect John F. Coates which he developed through long discussions with the historian J. S. Morrison following the longest correspondence on any subject in ''The Times'' of London in the early 1980s. The work was also advised by the classics teacher Charles Willink and drew on evidence gained from Greek literature, history of art and archaeology above and below water. Finance came from the Hellenic Navy and donors such as Frank Welsh (a Suffolk banker, writer and trireme enthusiast). Morrison, Coates and Willink founded the Trireme Trust with Welsh. The Trireme Trust is now chaired by Professor Boris Rankov, Professor of Classics at Royal Holloway University of London. The bronze bow ram weighed 200 kg. The ship was built from Oregon pine and Virginia oak. The keel is of iroko. The important ''hypozomata'' (bracing ropes) had to be replaced by a steel rope as neither natural fibre ropes nor synthetic fibre ropes with about the same elastic modulus as hemp could be obtained. The steel hypozomata tension varied as the hull bent on waves, rather than exerting a substantially constant tension like a natural fibre rope. This caused the alarming possibility of the rope breaking and endangering the crew, so protective measures had to be fitted.〔(The 18th Jenkin Lecture, 1 October 2005: Some Engineering Concepts applied to Ancient Greek Trireme Warships )〕 She was subject to sea trials in 1987, 1990, 1992 and 1994, but one of the most informative was an exercise in 1987 when crewed by 170 volunteer oarsmen and oarswomen. ''Olympias'' achieved a speed of 9 knots (17 km/h) and was able to execute 180 degree turns within one minute, in an arc no wider than two and a half (2.5) ship-lengths. These results, achieved with an inexperienced crew, suggest that the ancient writers were not exaggerating about the capabilities of such vessels. ''Olympias'' was transported to Britain in 1993, to take part in events celebrating the 2,500 years since the beginning of democracy. In 2004 ''Olympias'' was used to transport the Olympic Flame ceremonially from the port of Keratsini to the main port of Piraeus, as the Olympic Torch Relay entered its final stages in the run-up to the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. She is now an exhibit in a dry dock in Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Olympias (trireme)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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