Greek Merchant ship – Handmade

Masterful reproduction of an Ancient Greek Merchant ship, which roamed the whole of Mediterranean in the Hellenistic period (4th to 2nd century BC).

Unlike the warships that used oarsmen to row the boat, the merchant cargo ships used sails to move. These ships were made of wood and weighed around 150 tons in 400 B.C.E.

Greek traders sailed all around the Mediterranean Sea, from Spain to Phoenicia and from Carthage to Egypt and Italy, and to Greece of course. Merchant ships had quite a large cargo bay, but they didn’t go fast like triremes.

This model is based on the Kyrenia ship the wreck of which was discovered in Cyprus in 1968. It is handmade to the last finest detail, fully waterproof and functional.

We take extra care in packing these beautiful model ships to ensure a safe transit. The ship is suspended from a double reinforced wood frame which is then packed in a protective material box inside a special crate. Its robust construction and quality materials guarantee a safe delivery to your door. All shipments are fully insured.

Our ship designs are based on pictures, illustrations, pottery scenes and ancient scripts. First the frame is designed from scratch and cut. The wood used for the keel and the supporting traverse beams is plywood, while the hull is made of oak of 1.5 mm thickness. Then the ship is assembled using wood spines.

After the first laying of the oak planks the hull is smoothed over. This is followed by a second layer of oak planks with waterproofing material in between in order to achieve 100% functionality and watertightness. The total thickness of the body of the ship exceeds 3 mm. The ram is made of brass as in the original ships. All the details on the ship as stairs, sails, shields, ropes, oars, etc. are handmade from scratch.

Finally the ship is varnished with special varnishes to assure a safe sailing…