Description:
Ancient Naval Ram Casting Project
From 2021 to 2023, I was the lead in an experimental archaeology project in recreating a trireme-sized bronze naval ram based on the closest (and known) ancient methods. The project consisted of building the front of a warship, pitching the bow, building the entire ram model in beeswax, and then lost-wax casting the model. This is the first bronze naval ram cast in over 1,500 years and the only naval ram outside the Mediterranean basin. This reconstruction can better inform us about the time, manpower, and materials needed to create ancient naval rams as well as the socioeconomic implications of building ancient navies.
“Stephen DeCasien, a student of nautical archaeology at Texas A&M University, has created a naval ram, a nearly 3,000-year-old weapon used by the ancient Greeks and Romans.”
– Popular Mechanics Magazine. Jan 31, 2023.
Location:
Texas A&M University
Project Advisors:
Stephen DeCasien, Dr. Christopher Dostal, and Glenn Grieco
Date:
Fall 2021 to Spring 2023
News Links:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a42538670/grad-student-builds-ancient-naval-ram/
https://techno.nv.ua/ukr/popscience/starodavniy-morskiy-taran-50301768.html
Stephen DeCasien 