3382

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 150; Larghezza: 220; Lunghezza: 38

legno

The galea was a type of vessel used by European fleets until the early 19th century, although its ‘golden age’ coincided with the 16th-17th centuries. Its strong points - whose conception dates back to the ancient Greco-Roman triremes - did not change over the centuries: the possibility of sailing and rowing, its manoeuvrability, its shallow draught (that is, the submerged part of the hull), and its function as both merchant and military vessel: in fact, it could embark a few dozen ‘naval soldiers’, armed at one time with bows and arrows, then with crossbows, and finally with arquebuses and muskets; artillery pieces could be few and light, a shortcoming that eventually made the galley lose its centuries-old confrontation with the great vessels. The hull is banded in alternating courses to reveal the internal ribs. The galley is rigged but without sails. The oars are of the ‘scaloccio’ type (one for every 4-5 men) and in rowing position. The sternpost, rather than the wheel, indicates a late-period type of galley.