Sagittea (from the most commonly used “saettia”) was a small vessel with a long sharp prow and single deck fitted with two or three masts with lateen sails and used in the Mediterranean already in the Medieval Age, mainly in the Adriatic sea by Venetians. It was used mostly for commercial purposes. The small size of this ship along with its easy manoeuvrability are just some of the factors which contributed to its success and to the prosperity of Venetian trade traffics until the 17th Century.