Nemi Ships: Caligula's Floating Pleasure Palaces!.

Nemi Ships: Caligula's Floating Pleasure Palaces!


The discovery of the Nemi ship in Lake Nemi (hence the name), near Rome, Italy. It was a Roman ceremonial barge built by Emperor Caligula 2000 years ago.

The ships were vast, among the largest ever recovered from the ancient world. The largest was 240 feet in length, the same length as an Airbus A380, and measured 79 feet across. From inscriptions on lead pipes and tiles, it soon became clear that what had been discovered were the floating pleasure palaces of the infamous first-century Roman Emperor Caligula.

While excavating at Lake Nemi, Italian archaeologists uncovered a veritable treasure trove of artifacts from the wrecks. Vast anchors, bronze mouldings and marble statues came up from the depths, along with ornamental oar rings and joints in copper and bronze. They found carvings and mosaics, even gilded copper roof tiles that would have shone spectacularly in the sun. The expense of the vessels would have been enormous. Bronze lion heads, used to hold the ships’ oars.

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