C. Starting from the Red Sea, they followed the east
coast, rounded the Cape, and sailed north along the west
coast to the Mediterranean, reaching Egypt again in the
third year of this enterprise.
The Carthaginians and Romans come next in the history
of shipbuilding, confining themselves chiefly to the Mediterranean,
and using oars as the principal means of propulsion.
Their galleys ranged from one to five banks of oars. The
Roman vessels in the first Punic war were over 100 feet
long and had 300 rowers, while they carried 120 soldiers.
They did not use sails until about the beginning of the fourteenth
century B. C.
Portugal was the first nation to engage in voyages of discovery,
using vessels of small size in these adventurous journeys.
Spain, which soon became her rival in this field, built
larger ships and long held the lead. Yet the ships with which
Columbus made the discovery of America were of a size and
character in which few sailors of the present day would care
to venture far from land.
England was later in coming into the field of adventurous
navigation, being surpassed not only by the Portuguese and
Spanish, but by the Dutch, in ventures to far lands.
Europe long held the precedence in shipbuilding and enterprise
in navigation, but the shores of America had not long
been settled before the venturous colonists had ships upon
the seas.
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