This is a list of surviving ships from the ancient or prehistoric era. All the ships on this list date to 5th century AD or before.
Name | Image | Year of construction | Type | Build location[a] | Current location | Overall length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pesse canoe | 8040–7510 BC[1] | Dugout canoe | Mesolithic Europe | Netherlands (Assen) |
9.75 ft (2.97 m) | |
Dufuna canoe | — | 6550 BC[2] | Dugout canoe | Neolithic Africa | Nigeria (Yobe State) |
28 ft (8.5 m) |
Bibongho canoe | — | 6000 BC[3] | Dugout canoe | Prehistoric Korea | South Korea (Gimhae) |
10.17 ft (3.10 m) |
Pirogues de Bercy | 4500 BC[4] | Dugout canoes | Neolithic France | France
(Musée Carnavalet) |
17.00 ft (5.18 m) | |
Dugout Canoe of Gué de Beaulieu | 3500–3000 BC[5] | Dugout canoe | Neolithic France | France
(Musée de Cognac) |
18.56 ft (5.66 m) | |
Khufu ship | 2500 BC[6] | Solar ship | Ancient Egypt | Egypt (Giza) |
142 ft (43 m) | |
Cooper River Canoe | — | 2140 BC[7][8] | Dugout canoe | East Branch of the Cooper River, in present-day South Carolina, USA | >6 m (20 ft) | |
Lurgan Canoe | — | 2000 BC[9] | Dugout canoe | Prehistoric Ireland | Ireland
(Dublin) |
50 ft (15 m) |
Carnegie boat | — | 1870–1831 BC[10][11] | Solar ship | Ancient Egypt | United States | 32.8 ft (10.0 m) |
Chicago boat | 1870–1831 BC[10] | Solar ship | Ancient Egypt | United States
(Chicago) |
32.8 ft (10.0 m) | |
Red boat[b] | 1870–1831 BC[10][12] | Solar ship | Ancient Egypt | Egypt (Sharm El-Sheikh Museum) |
32.8 ft (10.0 m) | |
White boat[c] | 1870–1831 BC[10][12] | Solar ship | Ancient Egypt | Egypt (Sharm El-Sheikh Museum) |
32.8 ft (10.0 m) | |
Appleby logboat | — | 1500–1300 BC | Logboat | Prehistoric Britain | United Kingdom (North Lincolnshire Museum) |
— |
Dover Bronze Age Boat | 1500 BC[13] | Seagoing boat | Prehistoric Britain | United Kingdom (Dover) |
31 ft (9.4 m)[d] | |
Hanson Log Boat | 1500 BC[14] | Logboat | Prehistoric Britain | United Kingdom (Derby) |
32 ft (10 m) | |
Carpow Logboat | 1000 BC[15] | Logboat | Prehistoric Britain | United Kingdom
(Perth) |
29 ft (8.8 m) | |
Second canoe found in Lake Mendota | — | 1000 BC[16] | Native American canoe | Lake Mendota, in current Wisconsin, USA | 14.5 ft (4.4 m) | |
Dugout canoe from the Ljubljansko barje | 9th century BC[17] | Dugout canoe | Ljubljana Marsh | Slovenia | 30.5 ft (9.3 m) | |
Hasholme Logboat | 750–390 BC | Logboat | Prehistoric Britain | United Kingdom
(Hull) |
42.3 ft (12.9 m) | |
Mazarrón I | 7th century BC[18][19] | Boat | Ancient Phoenicia | Spain | 26.5 ft (8.1 m) | |
Ma'agan Michael ship | 5th century BC | Trade ship | Palaestina Prima | Israel (Ma'agan Michael) |
37 ft (11 m) | |
Fiskerton log boat | 457–300 BC[20] | Logboat | Prehistoric Britain | United Kingdom
(Lincoln) |
23 ft (7.0 m) | |
Hjortspring boat | 400–300 BC[21] | Canoe | Unknown (Nordic tribal area) |
Denmark (Copenhagen) |
58 ft (18 m) | |
Kyrenia ship | 400–300 BC | Trade ship | Macedonia | Cyprus (Kyrenia) |
47 ft (14 m) | |
Mohelnice monoxyl | 3rd century BC[e] | Dugout canoe | Czechia
(Moravia) |
Czechia
(Olomouc) |
34.4 ft (10.5 m) | |
Poole Logboat | 300 BC[22][23] | Logboat | Prehistoric Britain | United Kingdom
(Poole) |
33 ft (10 m) | |
Marsala Punic shipwreck | 235 BC[24][25] | Warship | Ancient Carthage | Italy
(Sicily) |
115 ft (35 m) | |
Sea of Galilee Boat | 120 BC–50 AD | Fishing boat | Ancient Rome | Israel (Ginosar) |
27 ft (8.2 m) | |
Comacchio wreck | 1st century BC[26][27] | Cargo vessel | Ancient Rome | Italy
(Palazzo Bellini) |
68.89 ft (21.00 m) | |
Zwammerdam 3 | 0 AD[28][29] | Canoe | Ancient Rome | Netherlands
(Archeon) |
34.9 ft (10.6 m) | |
Alkedo | 1st century AD[30][31] | Pleasure craft | Ancient Rome | Italy
(Pisa) |
72 ft (22 m) | |
Arles Rhône 3 | 1st century AD[32] | Trade ship | Ancient Rome | France (Arles) |
102 ft (31 m) | |
Pommeroeul 1[33][34] | 1st–2nd century AD | Barge | Ancient Rome | Belgium
(Ath) |
39.3 ft (12.0 m) | |
Pommeroeul 2[33][35] | 1st century AD | Dugout canoe | Ancient Rome | Belgium
(Ath) |
65.6 ft (20.0 m) | |
Zwammerdam 2 | 80–200 AD[36][37][38] | Cargo vessel | Ancient Rome | Netherlands
(Archeon) |
74.63 ft (22.75 m) | |
Mainz 6 | 81 AD[39] | Barge | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Mainz) |
13.7 ft (4.2 m) | |
Oberstimm 1 | 100 AD[40][41] | Military vessel | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Manching) |
49 ft (15 m) | |
Oberstimm 2 | 100 AD[42][41] | Military vessel | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Manching) |
50.5 ft (15.4 m) | |
Barchino F | 2nd century AD[43] | Boat | Ancient Rome | Italy
(Pisa) |
29.5 ft (9.0 m) | |
Ship A | 2nd century AD[44] | Shipping vessel | Ancient Rome | Italy
(Pisa) |
98 ft (30 m)[f] | |
De Meern 1 | 148 AD[45] | Barge | Ancient Rome | Netherlands
(De Meern) |
82 ft (25 m) | |
Bevaix boat | 182 AD[46] | Trade ship | Ancient Rome | Switzerland
(Laténium) |
63.6 ft (19.40 m) | |
Mainz 3 | 191 AD[47] | Patrol vessel | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Mainz) |
55.77 ft (17.00 m) | |
Roman ship of Marausa | 3rd century AD | Merchant ship | Ancient Rome | Italy
(Trapani) |
91.5 ft (27.9 m) | |
Mainz 2 | 249 AD[48] | Navis lusoria | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Mainz) |
70.53 ft (21.50 m) | |
Björkebåten | 4th century AD[49][50] | Log boat | Sweden | Sweden
(Gävle) |
23.68 ft (7.22 m) | |
Mainz 4 | 4th century AD[51] | Navis lusoria | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Mainz) |
70.53 ft (21.50 m) | |
Nydam Boat | 310–320 AD[52] | Pre-Viking ship | Denmark
(Nordic tribal area) |
Germany | 76 ft (23 m) | |
Mainz 1 | 385 AD[53] | Navis lusoria | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Mainz) |
70.53 ft (21.50 m) | |
Mainz 5 | 395 AD[54] | Navis lusoria | Ancient Rome | Germany
(Mainz) |
70.53 ft (21.50 m) | |
Ship D | 5th century AD[55] | Barge | Ancient Rome | Italy
(Pisa) |
— | |
Ship I | 5th century AD[56] | River ferry | Ancient Rome | Italy
(Pisa) |
— | |
Chitimacha dugout canoe | — | 5th century AD[57] | Dugout canoe | Belle River, just south of present-day Donaldsonville, Louisiana, USA | 14 ft (4.3 m) |