Ancient Ships Sail in to Piraeus

In front of the Maritime Museum of Piraeus, an unusual sight distracts the visitor from the gleaming white yachts that fill the harbor. Docked in a row are three vessels from ancient times - several ancient times.

One of these is the trireme Olympia, a reconstruction of a vessel that powered the Greeks over the seas. These were the workhorses and troop transports, hitting the waves like a big tourist bus.

Only back then, the travelers were often unwilling ones. Triremes went through a lot of manpower, and the unwary were sometimes kidnapped to provide the necessary muscle. Lukas Hristos is the fully-willing chief of the ship. "It takes thirty-five to row," he said."But now they are all volunteers."

Parked next to it in this ancient ship lot is the more delicate Minos, a smaller, open vessel with a cowskin enclosure for the pilot and a carved seabird as a figurehead. Vying with the waves long before its bulkier descendent, this was the boat that began to build the Minoan thallasocracy - the complete dominance of the Aegean sea that would endure for hundreds of years.

Finally, there is the Kyrenia Eleftheria - the Cyprus Freedom - a vessel recreating one found off of the coast of Kyrenia. Of the three boats, this one had a truly Kyrenia EleftheriaOlympian job to do. It sailed from Cyprus, stopping at many islands, carrying the copper necessary to make the bronze medals used in the Olympic Games.

Sadly, there are no more voyages planned for these beautiful and historic boats. The ancient ships will be drydocked and incorporated into museum displays. The Olympia may make one final journey, though not by water, to be a part of Olympic displays at the Games in Beijing in 2008.

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