Nemi ships
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The Nemi Ships were huge and exceedingly luxurious ships built by the Roman emperor Caligula in the first century AD at Lake Nemi. One of the ships was designed as a temple that was dedicated to Diana, the larger ship however was essentially an elaborate floating palace, which counted marble and heated, mosaic floors and plumbing such as baths among its amenities, the sole role of which was to satisfy Caligula's increasingly self-indulgent behavior. It has been stated that the emperor was influenced by the lavish lifestyles of the Hellenistic rulers of Syracuse and Ptolemaic Egypt.
Between 1927 and 1932, under the orders of the Italian dictator Mussolini, they had been pulled out of the temporarily drained lake. After 19 centuries the hulls were found to still be mostly intact, and some efforts at preservation were undertaken.
The ships were destroyed in World War II on the night of 31 May 1944.[1] There are conflicting views on which side was responsible for the destruction:
At that time, Allied forces were pursuing the retreating German army northward through the Alban Hills toward Rome. On May 28, a German artillery post was established within 400 feet of the museum...An official report filed in Rome later that year described the tragedy as a willful act on the part of the German soldiers. A German editorial blamed the destruction on American artillery fire. The true story of what happened that night will probably never be known.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Deborah N. Carlson, "Caligula's Floating Palaces." Archaeology. May/June 2002, Vol. 55, Issue 3, p. 26
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