Navigation from Cyprus to Egypt

[P. Lilius Frugius Simius]

Hi all!

OK, I have a huge fleet (200 triereis plus about 150 merchant, support ships) that has to move from Cyprus to Egypt ca. 460BCE...

The direct route, using the dominant winds (in their favor), at an average speed of 10 knots (possible, but I don't think all of them would be able to maintain it, how did the triereis moved when using sails?) would be close to 22 hours (about 220 nautical miles, 400 kilometers)

Triereis on rowers could maintain a speed of 7 knots with two rows, and using some crew rotation... But that would mean more than 30 hours to reach Egyptian coasts... Could they move by night through the Mediterranean, and how? The merchants would know the way to get down to Egypt, so they could lead, and food and water could be provided on board the trirremes before departure, but I really don't know if they had the technology and knowledge to do so... Plus, pinewood trirremes, could they stand the open sea between Cyprus and Egypt? So many doubts...

I need some of you to help me out on this one... Could the trirremes navigate for 20-30 hours through the Mediterranean, well away from the coast?

If not, how would you set up a beach camp in hostile coasts? (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, ..., belonged to the Persian empire, and where hostile to the greeks)...

Classical authors simply state that the fleet was deflected from Cyprus to Egypt, but say nothing more... Would they move to Cyrenaica and then eastwards to the Nile? Go directly to the south until the arrived to the Nile? Go the long, dangerous route of Persian satrapies?

oh, damned classical authors that left so much to the knowledge of their readers... grrr...

thanks for the help!

[Jason Hoffman]

The route between Cyprus and Egypt was well known to the ancient trade vessels, yes Trires are very fragile in open waters but the Mediteranian can be quite calm at times. I feel that if they were in trouble they could have made the journey direct, probably far more likely to sail than row.

[hoplite14gr]

Please try the site www.ancientgr.com . Follow the English pages. You will find pictures of an ancient "astrolabus". That might aid you in the navigation problem. Survaivng clay palques from the Bronze Age talk about various constallations on the sky. Take into account the fact that campagning was done from late spring to early fall, which means that most of the time the skies were clear and the stars visible. Merchant cargo ships would brave the weather and the seas but the admiral would make his calculations based on the triremes. I gave you info on ancient warer proofing on your other post.
Kimd regards
Stefanos