Wolf head on galley? fel temp

I got this in the mail the other day and can't decide if I see a wolf head at the front of the galley or not.




similar to this one:







some other galley's for comparison

 

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It definitely looks like some purposeful prow ornament, perhaps a wolf. Are the prow decorations something that is noted in cataloging systems?

 

There is that description on wilwinds : “with head of an animal, looks like a wolf to me .”

 

Maybe it was not only decorations. N.Fuentes wrote in one of his books :"Most depictions of Roman galleys show between the triplepointed embolum (ram) and the curve of the prow, a proembolum (projecting beak) which was often carved in the shape of an animal: boar, wolf, etcs.; the probable purpose of the proembolum was to break off the oars of an opposing vessel at their ports".

 

I agree-- rams were made to.... ram . Sometimes they were embellished and looked like animals, sometimes they were utilitarian.

 

Just a simple battering ram to me.

 

That's pretty cool @randygeki ! Some fine attention to detail there.

 

Nice addition, Randy.

 

Thanks all. Still on the fence if it's a head or not.