Roman Technology: The Roman Boat Project

Last summer, I took an epic professional development trip to France. We started in Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, traveled to Normandy to visit the beaches, climbed Mont Saint-Michel to look out at the expanse, and headed south to Provence where I visited my #1 bucket list site in the world: the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct. I thought the Roman archaeological sites of southern France had given up all their secrets until I saw its boats. Was I expecting to see so many? No, and I don't know why. After all, Provence is on the Mediterranean Sea, and the Rhone River flows right into it. The Gardon River, which the Pont du Gard spans, is one of its major tributaries. Thus, I should have connected the dots, and I should have anticipated visiting so many ports. After all, I'm from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a city on the mighty Mississippi, the river that drains the entire continental United States into a giant gulf. We see a LOT of vessels here. Thus, when I started to consider my Roman Technology classes' big experimental archaeology project for the year, I couldn't help but think about boats.



At the Musee Lapidaire in Narbonne, France, I was stunned by this giant 1st-century CE anchor, inscribed with the letters LPP (maybe its owner). That inscription got me thinking, "Who was the owner? What was he shipping? What was his life like? How was this anchor made?" The museum had excellent exhibits on the shipping corridor of ancient Provence. Similar to Louisiana, Provence's location at the confluence of a large river and a large sea amplified the importance of its docks and its shipping industry.

In Amphoralis, a 1st-century BC archaeological site dedicated to the large-scale production of pottery, I visited ancient kilns that produced large amphorae, or storage containers for wine. Its location close to the port of Narbonne was not an accident. Wine was a major export, and ships were carrying it all over the Mediterranean. We also saw the remains of a potter's house that got me thinking, "How many potters were needed to keep this factory running at such a large scale? How did potters throw such large pieces?" (Although, I had already seen British experimental archaeologist potter Graham Taylor demonstrate it in this video).

Because wood does not usually survive in the archaeological record, ancient ships are rarely found and complicated to preserve. Thus, seeing the Arles-Rhone 3, a 1st-century BC Gallo-Roman barge at the archaeological museum in Arles was a true delight. A little over 100 feet in length, this vessel was excavated and ultimately raised from the Rhone River over a long process between 2005 and 2010. It contained a load of building stones, the boatmen's personal belongings, and its original rudder (the long piece of wood jutting out in this picture). The museum even built a new wing to display it!


Amphorae, or clay storage jars, make up the backdrop for the barge. A perfect connection for a vessel that moved things back and forth along a river. And that brings me back to the Mississippi, the river that my students know and interact with on an almost daily basis but don't really think about much. It's the backdrop of our lives here in Baton Rouge, but it's rarely mentioned. Unless students have parents who work in river industries, they rarely ask questions about the river.

Thus, the Roman Boat Project was born in my thoughts. Can we build a working model of a Roman boat similar to the Arles-Rhone 3? "Of course not," said the fearful part of my brain, "that would be crazy!" But I thought the same thing when we first started building a 20-foot mosaic analemmatic sundial, and a 160-foot Roman road, and leather-tooled Roman house slippers. So, I started to talk myself into it by finding people who could help.

1. Boat Building - I have absolutely zero woodworking knowledge and would not even know where to begin building a boat. So, I looked for help. And...I've hopefully found it in Ron Blue, a wooden boat builder at the Maritime Museum of Mandeville, LA. When we spoke, he excitedly told me about his interest in casting ancient coins. He is already researching the Arles-Rhone 3.



2. Modern Barges and the Shipping Industry - I would love to connect this project to Mississippi River industries as much as possible. Do I know a riverboat pilot? Can I ask for help from a Lodestar founder? Connections are already loading.

3. Ancient Vessel and Shipwrecks - years ago, I presented a paper at an online conference with a presenter who had cast a Roman bronze ram!! Dr. Stephen Cassien, a graduate of the famed Texas A&M Nautical Archaeology Program, has already agreed to talk to my students about underwater archaeology and his experiences recreating the bronze casting process.

4. Pottery - I'm sure the Arles-Rhone 3 didn't just carry building blocks. What else did it carry? With one of my former students owning his own pottery business, Bellyfire Studios, I'm hoping to take my students on a field trip to make their own shipments of pottery.

5. Water - if we're really going to build a boat, where are we going to launch it? Fortunately, we have a lake near our school where my students have carried out water-quality testing.

6. The Lives of Sailors - the archaeologists and educators at the Louisiana Division of Archaeology have been my partners for the past 8 years, and I'm so grateful for all of the amazing activities they've shared with my students. They have already brainstormed numerous boat-related archaeology lessons, including one on dendrochronology!

To say I'm excited is an understatement. The next step is funding, and I've already begun writing grants to buy wood - LOTS of it. Wish us luck as we embark on this exciting new journey!