Yield Strength of the Egadi 10 Warship: Using Nonlinear Computer Simulations to Examine Collision Dynamics in Greco-Roman Naval Conflicts

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The study of ancient Mediterranean naval warfare expanded dramatically with the emergence of maritime archaeology and the subsequent discovery of artifacts and ship remains such as the Athlit and Egadi rams. The ship timbers preserved inside the rams radically increased available information on ancient warships. These timbers offer a tantalizing glimpse at vessel construction, but leave scholars with more questions than answers. Given the knowledge acquired from the study of these remains, it is possible to explore alternate archaeological methods to better understand the construction, use, and socio-cultural impact of ancient naval warships. The purpose of this project is to model a section of the Egadi 10 warship and simulate ramming events, thus examining collision damage and impacts along the hull. This paper will utilize Finite Element Analysis via Solidworks Simulation™ in combination with Nonlinear Systems Theory as applied to experimental archaeology in order to interrogate the yield strength of warships.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 1061