SHAH ALAM: There is no archaeological evidence or historical record indicating that the ancient Roman civilization learned shipbuilding techniques from the Malays, Sinar Harian reports.
Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Wan Ramli Wan Daud (pic), a historian of Malay technology from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), told the Malay language daily that the similarities between Roman and Malay shipbuilding methods are coincidental and not the result of direct influence or technology exchange.
