''Thalamegos'' (plural: ''Thalamegoi'') was a type of houseboat,

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, or barge mainly found in the Nile river, Egypt. They are used as freight carriers and

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

. The most famous and largest thalamegos is a huge twin-hulled

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

, a two-story

Nile river The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

palace

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

that was commissioned by

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

king

Ptolemy IV Philopator egy, Iwaennetjerwymenkhwy Setepptah Userkare Sekhemankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208. , predecessor = Ptolemy III , successor = Ptolemy V , horus = ''ḥnw-ḳni sḫꜤi.n-sw-it.f'Khunuqeni sekhaensuitef'' The strong youth whose f ...

for himself and his wife

Arsinoe III Arsinoe III Philopator ( grc, Ἀρσινόη ἡ Φιλοπάτωρ, which means "Arsinoe the father-loving", 246 or 245 BC – 204 BC) was Queen of Ptolemaic Egypt in 220 – 204 BC. She was a daughter of Ptolemy III and Berenice II. She wa ...

''ca.'' 200 BCE.

Etymology

The name comes from grc, θαλαμηγός (room carrier) from the Greek ''Thalamos'' which means room and ''Ago'' which means haul/carry/lead.

Description and role

Due to the popularity of Ptolemy IV's thalamegos, they are usually described as palace barges or floating palaces. Callegaro pointed out that the name refers to a type of barge of that time. Appian recorded that Ptolemy II Philadelphus possessed 800 thalamegos which can be used for military service. Some are used for cruising the Nile for government business and religious ceremonies. Also existed thalamegos configured as pleasure-craft and cargo carriers.

Ptolemy IV's thalamegos

Callixenus of Rhodes described Philopator's vessel in his ''Peri Alexandreias'':

The Thalamegos had the] length of half a stadium, and width by the widest part of 30 cubits. Its height, including the structure of the pavilion, reached almost 40 cubits. ��Its form resembled neither warships nor merchant ships but had been altered to suit the depths of the river. Thus, the lower part was shallow and wide and instead was high in height. The upper parts, and especially that of the bow, stretched considerably, and its curvature was well traced. It had a double bow and a double stern, and it rose to the top because in the river the waves often rise very high. In its intermediate cavity were built the banquet halls, the bedrooms, and everything else that is needed for daily life. ��Near the bow one came upon a chamber devoted to Dionysos; it contained thirteen couches and was surrounded by a row of columns. It had a cornice that was gilded as far as the surrounding architrave; the ceiling was decorated in accordance with the spirit of the god. In this room, on the right-hand side, a recess was built, which was entirely covered with real gold and precious stones so that it looked like a stone wall. Enshrined in it were portrait statues of the royal family made of Parian marble.

It is estimated that this thalamegos was about long, high, and wide.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Largest passenger ships Barges Royal and presidential yachts Ancient Egyptian ships

Etymology

Description and role

Ptolemy IV's thalamegos

See also

References

Bibliography