which the oar was worked. The lowest rank used the shortest oars, and the difference of the length of the oars on board was caused by the curvature of the ship’s side. Thus, looked at from within, the rowers amidship secmed to be using the longest cars, but outside the yessel, as we are expressly told, all the oar- blades of the same bank took the water in the same longitudinal line, The lowest or thalamite oar-ports were 3 feet, the zygite 43 feet, the thranile 53 feet above the water. Each oar-port was pro- tected by an ascoma or leather bag, which fitted over the oar, closing the aperture against the wash of the sea without impeding the action of the oar, The oar was tied by a thong, against which it was probably rowed, which itself was attached toa thowl (oxadpds). The port-hole was probably oval in shape (the Egyptian and Assyrian pictures show an oblong). We know that it was large enough for a man’s head ta be thrust through tt.
An image should appear at this position in the text. To use the entire page scan as a placeholder, edit this page and replace "{{missing image}}" with "{{raw image|Boating - Woodgate - 1888.pdf/39}}". Otherwise, if you are able to provide the image then please do so. For guidance, see Wikisource:Image guidelines and Help:Adding images. |  |
Ancient galley fight, from Pompeii.
The benches on which the rowers sat ran from the vessel’s side to timbers which, inclined at an angle of about 64? towards the ship's stern, reached from the lower to the upper deck, These timbers were, according to Graser, called the diaphragmata, In the trireme cach diaphragma supported three, in the quinquereme five, in the octireme eight, and in the famous tesseraconteres forty seats of rowers, who all belonged to the same ‘complexus,’ though each to a different bank. In effect, when once the principle of construction had been established in the trireme, the increase to larger rates was effected, so far as the motive power was concerncd, by lengthening the diaphragmata upwards, while the increase in the length of the vesscl gave a greater number of rowers to each bank. The upper tiers of oarsmen exceeded in number those below, as the contraction of the sides of the vessel left less available space towards the bows.
