Ferry

A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services.

Ferries in Antiquity

Crossing a river as a metaphor for transition is very old. The profession of the ferryman is embodied in Greek mythology as Charon.

Related Topics:
Metaphor - Transition - Greek mythology - Charon

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Speculation that a pair of oxen propelled a ship having a water wheel can be found in 4th century Roman literature “Anonymus De Rebus Bellicis”. Though impractical, there is no reason why it could not work and such a ferry, modified by using horses, was used in Lake Champlain in 19th century America. See, “When Horses Walked on Water: Horse-Powered Ferries in Nineteenth-Century America" (Smithsonian Institution Press;Kevin Crisman, co-authored with Arthur Cohn, Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum).

Related Topics:
4th century - 19th century

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