If several of the old pictures be considered from this standpoint and if the curious bottom lines drawn by the draughtsmen be covered by better lines borrowed from the _Speronara_ or from ancient galleys, these reproductions acquire a wholly different meaning. If little be known about the ancient Phœnician boat, a more thorough knowledge of the Greek or Roman ship has been reached, through researches, especially in the matter of dimensions. It is settled that the Ancients had dock yards containing sheds for the shelter of vessels from which the running rigging had been removed while the standing parts were left. (See: _Das Seewezen der Gr. und R._ by Dr. ~Em. Lübeck~, 1890, p. 2.) These sheds give an idea of the sizes of their ships. The excavations made by Lieutenant von Alten (_Das Seewesen der Gr. und R._, p. 5), attached to the Imperial German Archeological Institute (1876-1877), have shown that the figures given by Graser are inaccurate. The dimensions of eight docks could be measured at Munichia, and these structures were 6.25 m. wide by 21.20 m. long. Later excavations brought to light at Zoa some docks 5.50 m. wide and about 40 metres long, measured along the bank. (_Das Seewesen der Gr. und R._, idem p. 6.) The dimensions of the ships must, therefore, have been relatively small. It is generally granted that the beam of the Greek ship propelled by oars is less than that of the galleys of the Middle Ages. According to ~Jal~ (_Archéologie Navale_), the ratio of the beam to the length, in the middle ages, was for war vessels: 1:8; for merchant ships it was 1:7. Graser found that among the Greeks this ratio was 1:8¼, and according to ~Serre~ (_La Marine de guerre de l’Antiquité_, p. 33) and ~Lemaître~ (_Revue archéologique_ 1833, Vol. 8, pp. 149 _et seq._) its value was 1:9. Hence the vessels were narrow as compared with their length, which increased their degree of mobility. Besides, the depth of the docks discovered shows that the boats drew but little and, consequently, that the ships slid along in a way, on the water. In this respect too, the ancient boats did not differ much from those of the Middle Ages. Neglecting this detail, among others, Graser reaches a type of ship having far too great a draught. Alongside of the war vessels, _naves longæ_, there were the merchant vessels, _naves onerariæ_. It was natural that great mobility should be sought for the former; it is this which explains the lengthened shape of these boats, whereas the merchant ships were shorter and had more beam. Later, but still several centuries B. C., when the power of Rome was developed, when its population increased and when the importation of wheat and other provisions became more and more important and had to be made more and more quickly, the ship with oars was used as a merchant vessel in addition to the short, wide boat.