Ancient Galley

The Byzantine warships and their tactics

Ancient Galley 11 Min Read

Reconstruction of an early 10th-century Byzantine bireme dromon by John H. Pryor, based on references in the Tactica of Emperor Leo VI the Wise. Notice the lateen sails, the full deck, the fore- and mid-castles, and the Greek fire siphon in the prow. The above-water spur is evident in the bow, while the captain’s tent and the two steering oars…

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Ancient Galley Ancient Warfare 18 Min Read

ATHENS AND SPARTA

The type of bow most people are familiar with is the “post Corinthian” bow. Previously, triremes had a ‘hollow’ bow. See Connolly’s reconstruction of this type, p.265 “Greece and Rome at War”, and the coin reverses on p.264 giving a good ‘before and after’ idea of the old and modified…

Ancient Galley Naval Roman 15 Min Read

Roman Imperial fleets I

Drawing by Graham Sumner What you see is the Roman naval base at Velsen, just west of Amsterdam, which was in use during the reign of the emperor Tiberius. It is almost certainly identical to the fort named Flevum mentioned by Tacitus. At the conclusion of the civil wars in…

Ancient Galley Naval Roman 11 Min Read

Roman Imperial fleets II

West Roman Triremis Vehiculum, Dromon, 530 AD Enneris, Imperial Roman time For the lower Danube, from the Iron Gates to the Black Sea, the Classis Moesica was formed, with headquarters at Isaccea (Noviodunum) in Romania. This location is nearer to the Danube delta than the centre of the fleet’s stretch…

Ancient Galley Battle Roman 15 Min Read

The Islands and Italy, 210–207 BC: The Romans Defeat the Carthaginian Fleet

Marcus Valerius Laevinus sailed to Rome in 210 to report that the war for Sicily was over and that a deserted land was again in cultivation. However, it is obvious that the Carthaginians had not given up and that the Romans still had to defend the islands. The consul sent…

Ancient Galley Byzantine 6 Min Read

Crews in Byzantine fleets

A modern depiction of a Byzantine flamethrowing warship, using Greek Fire against an enemy ship (probably of the opponent Muslim fleets). In the foreground: the mechanism and the siphon of ejection of Greek fire in the interior of a Byzantine Dromon (artwork by Giorgio Albertini) By John H. Pryor In…

Ancient Galley Warship Weapons 4 Min Read

The Harpax

HARPAX Roman word for the Greek harpagos or grappling hook used by the Roman NAVY; a combination harpoon and grappling iron consisting of a spar five cubits (2.25m, or 7ft 3in) long with a ring at each end. An iron hook was fastened to one of the rings, and a…

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Roman Seas Roman Naval Myths

There are several myths that surface when talking about Roman naval history. Most of these…

The Sea Peoples

Invasions by the mysterious Sea Peoples in the 12th century BC not only devastated the…

The Byzantine warships and their tactics

Reconstruction of an early 10th-century Byzantine bireme dromon by John H. Pryor, based on references…

Roman Naval and Amphibious Warfare

It is ironic that, at the very time Rome established its naval forces on a…