FORT WAYNE, Indiana (Indiana's NewsCenter)--THESE ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN SHIPS ONCE RULED THE SEAS, EXTENDING THEIR COUNTRY’S POWER TO DISTANT SHORES. WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THESE VESSELS LOOKED LIKE, EVEN THOUGH ALL OF THEM DISAPPEARED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

Lisa: Most of our representations of biremes and triremes all come from coin sources.

MUCH OF WHAT WE KNOW OF ANCIENT WOODEN SHIPS COMES FROM ANCIENT METAL COINS AND MORE THAN A DOZEN OF THEM, ALONG WITH HISTORIC SHIPS DOCUMENTS AND SOME FABULOUS MODELS MAKE UP THE CURRENT EXHIBIT AT FORT WAYNE’S KARPALES MANUSCRIPT MUSEUM. THE TRIREME WAS THE DOMINANT WARSHIP ON THE MEDITTERANIAN FROM THE 7TH TO THE 4TH CENTURIES B.C. THIS TRIREME IMAGE IS ON A BYTHINIAN COIN FROM 350 B.C. THIS SYRIAN COIN MINTED IN TYRE IN 150 BC SHOWS THE STERN OF AN ANCIENT GALLEY, THE PILOT CLEARLY VISIBLE STEERING THE SHIP.

Lisa: If you were the ruler of a country you wanted to show off you best assets and one of the things many of these countries were proud of is their ability to sail the Mediterranean, Indian Oceans and go far from their own shores to find treasure.

AMONG THIS COLLECTION ARE SOME BREATHTAKING SHIPS MODELS, THE USS CONSTITUTION..THE LONGEST SERVING SHIP IN THE NAVY..AND THE HMS VICTORY, ADMIRAL NELSON’S COMMAND SHIP IN THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGER. THE DETAIL IS SPECTACULAR. LESS DETAILED BUT NO LESS SPECTACULAR IS THIS MODEL SHIP FROM ANCIENT EGYPT, 45-HUNDRED YEARS OLD, FOUND IN A TOMB NEAR THE GREAT PYRAMID. THE KARPELES MUSEUM IS FORT WAYNE’S OWN TREASURE, BRINGING PIECES OF HISTORY TO OUR DOORSTEP USUALLY RESERVED FOR RESIDENTS OF THE WORLD BIG CITY’S. USING PRICELESS ARTIFACTS TO TEACH PRICELESS LESSONS. ERIC OLSON REPORTING FOR YOUR COUNTRY.

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