![]() Flaws toward the rear of the casting indicate that it was cast "head down" so the best quality of metal was at the very front of the ram. The most likely casting method would have been the lost wax technique, which was commonly used for statues and other large casting during this period. The casting of an object as large as the Athlit ram was a complicated operation at the time, and would have been a considerable expense in the construction of a war galley. The shell was cast as a single piece to match the timbers it protected. The bronze that makes up the shell is a high-quality alloy containing 9.78% tin with traces of lead and other elements. It is 226 centimetres (89 in) long with a maximum width of 76 centimetres (30 in) and a maximum height of 96 centimetres (38 in). The Athlit ram consists of a single bronze casting weighing 465 kilograms (1,025 lb). It was also less likely to become stuck in the hull of its target. ![]() ![]() The blunt edge of the ram and the patterned protrusion were intended to break open the seams of the target ship while at the same time dispersing the force of impact on the attacking ship to prevent the ram from twisting off and damaging the attacking ship. The evidence for this lies in the remnants of timbers found inside the Athlit ram when it was discovered. Heavy timbers were shaped and attached to the hull, and then the bronze ram was created to fit around the timbers for added strength. 700 BC, and the Athlit ram's construction implies advanced technology that was developed over a long period of time. Rams were thought to be one of the main weapons of war galleys after c. Carbon 14 dating of timber remnants date it to between 530 BC and 270 BC. The Athlit ram, found in 1980 off the coast of Israel near Atlit, is an example of an ancient ram. The Athlit ram, Israeli National Maritime Museum Many other historical vessels were used as rams, such as the Korean Turtle ship. The ram most likely evolved from cutwaters, structures designed to support the keel-stem joint and allow for greater speed and dynamism in the water. They appear first on stylized images found on Greek pottery and jewelry and on Assyrian reliefs and paintings. ![]() There is evidence available to suggest that it existed much earlier, probably even before the 8th century BC. Rams were first recorded in use at the battle of Alalia in 535 BC. The Athenians were especially known for their diekplous and periplous tactics that disabled enemy ships with speed and ramming techniques. Naval warfare in the Mediterranean rarely used sails, and the use of rams specifically required oarsmen rather than sails in order to maneuver with accuracy and speed, and particularly to reverse the movement of a ramming ship to disentangle it from its sinking victim, lest it be pulled down when its victim sank. The ram was a naval weapon in the Greek/ Roman antiquity and was used in such naval battles as Salamis and Actium. It was possibly developed in late Bronze age Egypt, but it only became widely used in later Iron age Mediterranean galleys. It carries a 35-character Punic inscription, offered as a supplication to the god Baal The ram has damage attributed to collision(s) with Roman ships (ram against ram). This Carthaginian naval ram from the Battle of the Aegates (First Punic War, 241 B.C.) was discovered in 2010 at a depth of 80 meters.
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