“ἀλλὰ θέαν μόνην ἐκείνη παρέσχε…”- Plut. Demetr. 43.4.

All the Odyssey movie “inaccurate” versus “who cares” arguments are both fun and exhausting. But the trailer shows them rowing a clinker built Viking ship. That is like depicting Columbus crossing the Atlantic in a Chinese junk.

Our new paper is out. It is always a privilege to work with Dr. Murray. Even more so to share a paper on a topic we both probably spend way too much time thinking about. Hopefully this is the first of many!

Still unclear how I ended up in a nationals-level quiz bowl question at the 2025 Chicago Open, but I’m not complaining. I wonder if anyone got it right. Bonus points to the writer for getting my last name’s pronunciation correct!

I wrote this blog post to offer some initial reflections on a topic that I hope others will find as exciting as I do! The aim is to spark broader interest among students and scholars in comparative studies of seafaring and naval warfare in antiquity. 🌊⚔️🐏

I wrote this blog post to offer some initial reflections on a topic that I hope others will find as exciting as I do! The aim is to spark broader interest among students and scholars in comparative studies of seafaring and naval warfare in antiquity. 🌊⚔️🐏

Slowly reached 2,000 followers, and I want to thank everyone who has joined me here! I post mostly about ancient naval warfare, so it means a lot to see others enjoy it too, whether you are scholars, students, or simply curious readers. Picture of the Piraeus ram just cause!

Tomorrow is the start of the workshop, and I can’t wait for the faculty lectures and student presentations. You’ll never guess what I’m talking about… hint below! 🐏🌊⚔️

I’d have to agree that this is…very interesting…

I had a great time giving a lecture at the Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC). The best part was not the naval ram discussion but the energy/curiosity of the faculty and students. I feel grateful for the chance to spend time with such a warm and welcoming community!

So looking forward to this on Friday! Students are about to find out that the naval ram wasn’t only a weapon of war but popped up in almost every aspect of Greek and Roman life, from sex jokes to monumental displays, from women’s attire to amphora stamps….everywhere!

New poster! Only two weeks until my workshop “Sails, Silk, and Ancient Seas”. I am happy that so many students have taken an interest in ancient Mediterranean and Chinese seafaring. Reviewing their work and helping them refine their posters has taught me a lot about Chinese maritime history as well.

I’m enjoying Anno 117: Pax Romana, but what is going on with the ship designs? There are no proper naval rams and it feels off…one dangling oar out the back which I assume is the steering oar though its facing the wrong direction and angle. So far, no ramming warfare, just projectiles

Putting in the work and seeing results. Four articles accepted or published (all Q1) and two book chapters submitted in under ten months. Feeling accomplished today/tired, and there is still so much more to explore in the world of ancient naval warfare.

This week on the blog: Hoplites! We're taking a crack at explaining the long-running debate over the nature and significance of the ancient Greek heavy infantryman, the hoplite, and the phalanx in which he (mostly) fought. acoup.blog/2025/11/14/c...

I was watching an episode of the new show Talamasca: The Secret Order and even though it was just a split second in a scene, I spotted a classically inspired three-bladed waterline ram… I might have a problem. Or the worst superpower.

Yuanmingyuan (the Old Summer Palace) in Beijing, China.

Co-teaching a course comparing Ancient Greece/Rome with ancient China has been a blast so far. In just a few weeks we’ll reach the unit on ancient warships, and my students have no idea what’s about to hit them… they’re about to find out that naval ramming was a global and ancient phenomenon.

Currently finishing a chapter that includes a small section on the possible modeling and casting methods, as well as the materials used to make the largest rams for the Ptolemaic fleet at Actium (31 BCE). Just thinking how much I miss working there and need to work on that ship classification paper…

Naval thought of the day: I think what’s becoming increasingly apparent is that the evidence points to a wide range of ram designs such as conical, boar’s head, and chisel types before the emergence of the three-bladed form.

Looking at the Egadi rams, I can’t help but feel they reveal how strained the Carthaginian fleet had become by 241 BCE. Some appear unfinished, with beeswax seams still visible and tool marks left in place, as if they were rushed straight from the foundry to the ships.

I’m happy to be invited to give a lecture on my naval ram research at the Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC) at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China. Looking forward to visiting and exchanging ideas next month!

🦔🦔🦔 Prompted by discussion in another post, sharing this link to an article in case others are also interested in #hedgehogs and hedgehog-head boats in Ancient Egypt. Contains cute pictures! www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11... @sdecasien.bsky.social @chapps.bsky.social

I was asked recently what the “big debates” are in ancient naval studies, the maritime equivalent of the hoplite debate. Three stand out clearly. Here is a short summary of some!

Little desk pieces coming together! Featuring a 3D-printed amphora pen holder, an Egadi ram, a possible Actian ram, and a lost-wax cast bronze Egadi ram mini.

Four years since starting the Ancient Naval Casting Project! Finishing the bow, the beeswax model, and casting it was the highlight of my PhD. Hopefully future projects will be as rewarding.

The new Age of Empires 2: Alexander the Great campaign comes out next week — and in the intro video there’s a Roman Egadi ram from the First Punic War in 241 BCE. Think I wouldn’t notice! 👀

I tried it once and that’s it…no more AI for me or for ancient navies.

Happy to share my article “On Naval Rams (Rostra) at the Battle of Tauris (47 BCE) in the Bellum Alexandrinum” has been accepted by Historia, a journal I’ve admired since my student days in ancient history! You’ll have to wait to find out why Publius Vatinius added rams to merchant ships… or did he?

I’ve put together a quick overview of all naval rams and related artifacts on my personal website, along with some relevant publications. It’s meant to serve as a handy reference and a “current count” table. Will updated will more info later! stephendecasien.com/naval-rams/

I’ve put together a quick overview of all naval rams and related artifacts on my personal website, along with some relevant publications. It’s meant to serve as a handy reference and a “current count” table. Will updated will more info later! stephendecasien.com/naval-rams/

“The Athenians, having pursued the defeated for a considerable distance, filled the whole nearby area of the sea with corpses and wreckage.” -Diod. 13.100.1.

Every time I say I’m done gaming and I’ll just focus on writing, they pull me back in with stuff like this…

Another wall-mounted decorative ship with ram? Odd-looking ram design, but the article dates it to the late 2nd–3rd c. CE, which fits. Very similar to examples from Pompeii. Naval rams truly permeated every aspect of Greek and Roman society. www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/09/a...

Now that it’s in Italian news, I can share: a new inscription has been found on Egadi Ram 25. It reads SER SOLPICIO C F QUAISTOR PROBAVE[T] — “Servius Sulpicius, son of Caius, Quaestor, approved (this).” This likely refers to the son of Caius Sulpicius Galus, Roman consul in 243 BCE.

Out online already! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

It’s out! This paper explores how the naval ram was more than just a weapon, it was a cultural symbol woven into almost every part of ancient Greek and Roman life. Of course, not every ram “portrayal" is fully explored, leaving plenty more to research and discover! jaha.org.ro/index.php/JA...

I can’t believe I somehow missed this back in 2021! A bronze naval ram was recovered from the Bay of Naples. It’s noticeably smaller than the Egadi examples, likely from a trireme, or perhaps even smaller. Too early to say for certain. Word is that a full publication on the ram is coming soon!

Ancient naval innovations, like polyreme warships, big bronze rams, and catapults, were driven by wealthy autocrats (e.g., Philip II, Antigonus, Ptolemy). When their resources waned, innovation collapsed, and they turned to cheaper tech from non-autocratic actors (e.g., Rhodes, republican Rome).

It’s wild that for the Battle of Actium (31 BCE), where ancient writers describe ~750 to 900+ ships fighting, the evidence so far is ~35 stone ram sockets, some bronze fragments (only 1 big piece, maybe from a ram) and possible catapult balls. More archaeology will come, but that’s all for now.

The brutal aftermath of an ancient naval battle: The half-burnt ships drifted for a long time, bearing men—some consumed by fire, others wasted by hunger and thirst. Some, clinging to masts or planks, were cast upon desolate rocks or barren shores.

Modern politicians often picture themselves as the Athenian Phormio, victorious, admired, and wise in command. In truth, many mirror his son Asopius, chasing fame, propped up by nepotism, and ruthless to the innocent. Like a trireme rowed by loyal hands yet steered by a fool, they sail to ruin.

It’s out! This paper explores how the naval ram was more than just a weapon, it was a cultural symbol woven into almost every part of ancient Greek and Roman life. Of course, not every ram “portrayal" is fully explored, leaving plenty more to research and discover! jaha.org.ro/index.php/JA...

Metaphor for Politics? “The Corinthians did not haul the sinking ships; but turned against the men, killing them as they rowed by rather than taking them alive, even killing their own allies, unaware that those on the wing had been defeated, and in their ignorance they killed them.” - Thuc. 1.50.1

To be just a footnote in history…

This is a fantastic short article! I've always been curious about how lights were used at night, both on ships and along the shore, and this really helped clarify things. Polyaenus’ Stratagems gives several interesting examples that now make a lot more sense in relation to the article:

This. The major problem is that even walking some people back through their “theories” to show them the “foundations” they are still in denial, promoting more of their “theories”. It’s a refusal to learn, understand, and maybe compromise?. AI just makes it worse with false info on demand.

All known naval rams in the archaeological record are bronze (with traces of other metals). Does that mean all ancient rams were bronze? No. But we lack clear textual or visual evidence for others. One exception I can think of comes from Pliny, who mentions bronze and iron rams at Actium.

Haven’t posted any personal art in a while! Every once in awhile I get seized with the need to figure out a trireme from the 3rd C BCE, with the constraints of it being build around one of the Egadi rams (in this case Egadi 4), and to have a oarbox with all three rows of oarports in it.