10-05-2006, 02:38 PM
Quote: Athenians and Corinthians had a city-state colour on their ships and from 5th century B.C had certain sail designs in contrast to the Archaic period where the captain who owned the ship used the sail to show his clan/fratria emblem.
Patience till we categorise them along with the corresponding sources.
I can think of references to sail colors: Plutarch notes Duris of Samos has Alcibiades using a purple sail (but he doubts the accuracy of that claim), Vegetius argues for blue sails for camouflage; but not state symbols on sails. Does not Thucydides 3.32.3 argue against any easy differentiation of Greek warships? If Corinthian and Athenian ships had recognizable sails or overall decoration systems why where the Ionian’s unable to distinguish the Peloponnesian ships from Athenian ones, Thucydides mention no particular attempt at disguise on the part of Alcidas.
Paul Klos
\'One day when I fly with my hands -
up down the sky,
like a bird\'
\'One day when I fly with my hands -
up down the sky,
like a bird\'
