5. The Rise of the Tonnage in the Hellenistic Period

Résumé 0

During the Hellenistic period, various kinds of evidence demonstrate the existence of many large ships whose tonnage was greater than one hundred tonnes and could even reach several hundred tonnes. However, the accurate evolution of their tonnage is more complicated to determine for ships that sailed in the Eastern Mediterranean. It seems that an initial increase occurred in the first part of the second century BCE all over the Mediterranean. This particularly affected wheat and stone, since these goods required large ships. The increase in tonnage during this period was due to a desire for more prestige, influenced by political and military factors, and less to do with a desire for increased profits. A second rise seems to have occurred from the end of the second century to the beginning of the first century BCE. However, this growth was restricted to particular routes in the Mediterranean, and only to ships carrying very valuable merchandise, such as wine or works of art. In fact, the development in tonnage was obviously the result of the significant changes in maritime trade caused by Roman rule. Beyond these factors, the growth in tonnage during the Hellenistic period is due to developments in both ship and harbour technologies. Of course, the economic background — the growth of cities in the Hellenistic world — helped stimulate the demand for big ships.