The capricious emperor Caligula, who is said to have made his beloved horse, Incitatus, first a citizen of Rome, then a senator, and after that put him on the list of candidates for consul, used to sail his exciting ships on Lake Nemi, not far from where he stood his statue, indulging his sensual inclinations …
From the first days of his reign, Caligula was attracted by Lake Nemi with the sacred temple of Diana. The lake itself is known as "the mirror of Diana", her cult as Artemis in Greece originated a long time ago. It is associated with the ritual of initiation and transformation.
Volcanic Lake Nemi, south of Rome. Emperor Caligula sailed on this lake on his giant "boats of love".
Caligula took possession of this sensual cult, he ordered to build a palace for worship near the sanctuary of the goddess. The cult of Diana allowed him to be infused with bloodshed and perversion under the guise of religious worship. Lake Nemi was the perfect place for this. The palace was not enough, and he ordered the construction of two huge ships worthy of the most powerful man on Earth.
According to his instructions, the first ship was to become the floating Temple of Diana, the second luxurious pleasure craft for the entertainment of the emperor and his guests. Caligula wanted large ships to decorate the lake. There are no written sources about their construction, operation and destruction; historians attribute the ships to Caligula, based on his reputation and on the marking of items found on the ships.
A shipyard was built nearby. The best of the best engineers took part in the construction. The requirements for the ships were extremely complex: low draft, and at the same time, they had to be wide enough to keep balance under the heavy superstructure. The building technology was the most advanced.
A special feature was a series of animal heads made of bronze - small ships were moored to them, on which the emperor arrived with friends. The workmanship was excellent.
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The discovery of two giant pleasure ships built during the time of the insane Roman emperor Caligula forced historians to reconsider their views on antiquity.
Luxury ships have never been found before. When the two ships were raised to the surface of the lake, their true dimensions became visible. They forced to rewrite history and take a look at the restless luxury of the emperors. The ships were about 70 m long and 20 m wide. Taking into account the one-mile Lake Nemi, the ships were huge.
But more surprising was the quality of their workmanship and technology. It had marble floors, hot and cold running water. These were floating palaces with gilding, mosaic floors, and on the other hand, they reflected the technical capabilities of Roman shipbuilders.
Caligula became emperor at the age of 25. Power and wealth have done their job. He earned a reputation as a cruel sadist who squandered wealth for the enjoyment and gratification of his own senses. But his weakness was the sea, he was a descendant of famous sailors two generations earlier.
Among the finds were clay pipes that supported the floor and allowed it to be heated. This proves that large ships were equipped with sophisticated heating systems throughout the ship.
During the excavation, a bronze crane was found. He controlled the flow of water into the tanks. From there it was supplied through lead pipes for various needs. The system was unique and worked without question, the only difference is that the crane was 2000 years old.
A lot of nails were also found, with the help of which wooden elements were attached, they were treated with a solution, which protected them from corrosion. The ships were propelled by hundreds of rowers.
According to the Roman historian Suetonius, the "boats of love" were studded with precious stones and had ample room for baths, porticoes, dining rooms, vineyards and fruit trees. Caligula could lie all day on his favorite ship, listening to the choral singing and enjoying the dancing.
The ships were destroyed after the 29-year-old emperor was killed in his palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome by his own guards. Imperial ships were sunk as part of the "damnatio memoriae" (Latin "curse of memory" - a special form of death penalty in ancient Rome for state criminals).
After fourteen centuries of neglect, the shipwrecks were discovered by Cardinal Prospero Colonna in 1444. The cardinal learned that at the bottom of Lake Nemi, 16 miles southeast of Rome, in the Albavo region, lay the skeleton of a huge ship. The fishermen of this area, which has long been shrouded in an atmosphere of mystery and legend, often pulled out pieces of wood and small metal objects with nets. Local residents used wood as fuel, while metal was melted down for tools and weapons.
The cardinal, fascinated by the then fashion for antiquity, organized an expedition to Lake Nemi, led by the prominent then architect Battisto Alberti, who investigated the sunken ship with the help of divers and even made an attempt to raise the ship. For this, a deck was built on a set of wooden barrels, on which winches with ropes were installed. However, with the help of this simple device, Alberti only managed to tear off and raise to the surface a piece of the bow of the mysterious ship.
A century later, in 1535, Senor Francesco de Marchi tried to investigate the ship again using a primitive diving suit. This suit, or rather, a wooden bell reinforced with metal hoops, was hung on board the boat and covered the diver's upper body. With the help of such a device, the brave de Marchi went down to the bottom and became one of the first people to experience decompression sickness.
Alas, the results of his research were insignificant. He could see almost nothing through the small window in the bell, because the water in the lake was very cloudy. A lot of trouble was brought to him by the host of small fish that swam around him, nibbling on her parts of the body protected by the bell. So, just like Alberta, de Marchi tried to raise the ship, but also unsuccessfully: he inflicted only additional damage to the hull.
In 1885-1889, the British ambassador to Italy, Lord Sevayle, organized an expedition to Nemi and freed the sunken ships from all the most valuable, with hooks stripping from the mysterious vessel almost all bronze ornaments, mosaics, jewelry made of gold and marble. Later, all these items became the property of British museums and private collections.
At the beginning of the 20th century, underwater archaeologists discovered the hull of another vessel. It lay close to the coast and was approximately 60 meters long and 20 meters wide. The ship, once discovered by Cardinal Colonna, was larger: 71 meters long and 21 meters wide.
Despite the fact that no written records of these ships have survived in ancient writings, most historians immediately attributed these magnificent structures to the era of the insane emperor Caligula, who allegedly used them as floating palaces.
Research by divers in the 1920s showed that the ships were indeed floating palaces with marble structures, galleries, green terraces with living trees and vines. After a detailed study of the baroques of Caligula, the Italian government decided that they were a national treasure, and in 1927 Mussolini ordered to begin the ascent.
Technically, the lifting operation did not seem particularly difficult. Lake Albano, adjacent to Nemi, lies somewhat lower in level. It was supposed to dig a canal from one lake to another, drain the waters of Lake Nemi into Albano and pull Caligula's ships ashore. The operation began in 1927 and ended in 1932. There was no need to dig a channel to drain the Nemi: archaeologists discovered an ancient drainage tunnel, which was used for drainage.
Pumping began on October 20, 1928. The finds would shake the world. Both ships appeared for the first time in 2000 years. Even archaeologists were amazed at their preservation. It became clear how the ancient large ships were built.
Well-preserved ship skeletons were found at the bottom. The ramming ship was 234 feet (71.3 m) long overall and 220.96 feet (67.35 m) waterline. The ship was 65.6 feet wide and 6.2 feet (1.9 m) wide.
The other ship, without the ram, was 213.2 feet (65 m) long, 77.4 feet (23.6 m) wide, and had a draft of approximately 6.5 feet (2 m). On the larger one, the oars were located not in the ship's sides, but in the platforms protruding beyond the board - apostik, for each oar there were 4-5 rowers. The smaller vessel had no apostilles or oars. Apparently, it was towed by a large ship or a flotilla of rowing boats.
Restoration of ships after lifting.
After the water from Nemi was drained, rail tracks were laid on its muddy bottom, and unique structures were pulled onto the shore along them, which amazed specialists with the perfection of forms and craftsmanship.
A lot of items of that time were raised and restored. Pumps for pumping out the water that came during the voyage, several bronze items were found: heads of animals with mooring rings, a statue of Caligula's sister, the head of the Gorgon medusa, a talisman hand that was nailed to the hull of the ship, the head of the she-wolf Romulus.
Bronze heads of animals.
One of the most surprising finds was two unique rotating platforms found on a small ship. Eight bronze balls were found under one of the platforms, moving in a chute.
Another platform lay on eight tapered wooden rollers, also moving in a chute. Both designs are reminiscent of rolling bearings, the prototype of which was invented in the 16th century by the great Leonardo da Vinci. The purpose of these platforms is still unknown, it is possible that they were used as rotating stands for statues.
The original mechanism with a ball from the ship of Caligula.
The device for lifting the anchors deserves surprise as well; a crank mechanism is used in its design. In all likelihood, this is the first example of the use of a crank mechanism, except for a hand mill.
Caligula's ships had two anchors. One of them, made of oak, is a classic construction with iron feet and a lead stem. Another anchor, also made of iron and wood, was similar in design to the anchors that appeared in the Dutch navy in the 18th century.
Anchors from Caligula's ship.
It was not possible to find out the exact date of the construction of the ships, but, according to the inscriptions on the ornaments, archaeologists have established that the ships were built around the middle of the 2nd century AD.
Inscriptions were found on thirteen ceramic slabs in the superstructures, indicating that they were made by a certain Deim, a slave of Domitsiks Afer. Afer died in 59, so the ships had to be built before that date. In addition, an inscription was found on one of the lead pipes of the small ship: "Property of Kai Caesar Auguegus Germanicus."
This is the full name of Caligula, who reigned until 41. Several other inscriptions indicate that the barges were built during the reign of Caligula's successor Claudius (r. 41-54). For historians it is still a mystery when and under what circumstances the ships of Lake Nemi sank. Perhaps they were deliberately flooded to erase the memory of the hated emperor.
For an extraordinary find, the Italian government built a huge museum on the banks of the Nemi, where Caligula's barques were exhibited after conservation in 1944.
After the restoration, many people wanted to see Caligula's ship.
May 31 - June 1, 1944, during the retreat of the German troops, the museum and ships were destroyed by fire. The investigation established only an indirect connection between the fire and the actions of the German troops (a German battery, located 150 meters from the museum, was named as the probable cause of the "accidental" fire).
View of the museum after the fire.
Nowadays, visitors to the restored museum are forced to be content with inspecting the half-empty museum with models of the famous ships, executed on a scale of 1: 5.
This is how the largest and best-preserved Roman ships were found and then lost to history.
The loss of huge ships is truly irreparable. To date, the museum has been partially restored, but it still looks empty. Archaeologists have a great desire to restore exactly at least one of the ships. And if their plans are carried out, then the ships-temples will once again come out into the lake.
In the Palazio Massimo in Rome, in one of the halls, bronze decorations from these ships, steering parts, and fasteners of beams are exhibited. The purpose of some parts is unknown.
In Italy, a statue of Caligula was unveiled, which was discovered by police during the capture of a gang of black diggers who carried out illegal excavations near Lake Nemi, south of Rome.
The marble statue of 2 thousand years old has not been completely preserved. Only the left side and the head were left of it. Caligula is depicted sitting on a throne in caligas - the shoes of Roman legionnaires.
Although the "boats of love" are lost forever, Caligula will return to the Roman Ship Museum on Lake Nemi. His colossal statue, cleared of the earth that covered it for two millennia, will be permanently displayed in the museum.
There is no reliable historical information that the emperor Caligula was crazy, fantastically cruel and especially sexually licentious. After the film about the "monster" Caligula from the film of the same name by Tinto Brass, many have the opinion that it was so in fact.
But modern research shows that he was a vulnerable, liberal-minded dreamer, a bad politician, and a lousy administrator. Caligula fell victim to an era that was cruel and did not forgive mistakes even for the emperors. And even after his death.
