Ball Bearings from Roman Imperial Ships of Nemilake

Abstract

The remains of ball bearing from the Roman imperial ships of Nemi lake are investigated to understand their mechanical design and to speculate on the machines they were used in. The imperial ships are dated at first century A.D. and they were digged out from the lake with several significant remains in titanic operations in 1930s. Today the bronze remains of the ball bearings can give new insights of the ancient Roman technology with renewed considerations and analysis both from historical and technical viewpoints as per their construction and use.