Navy equipment and tactics

• What did the Greeks use ships for?

  Exploration

  Colonisation

  Ramming
• Most common kind of Greek warship

  trireme
• Explain the Greek naval tactic - boarding

  rowing ship close enough for soldier to jump through their deck

  would fight with swords and shields

  soldiers would capture ship and would be added to their navy
• explain Greek naval tactic - Ramming

  sail directly into ship side to create a hole

  used the bronze coated battering ram at front

  Bronze would protect the attacking ship
• Most important qualities of boat and rowers

  speed and manoeuvrability

  light ship

  this technique minimised need for soldiers onboard
• Diekplous - manoeuvring tactic

  Ships in a straight line sail past through opponents ship before turning to ram from side

  Most effective
• Why is the diekplous ineffective sometimes and why?

  • quickly developed defensive tactics
  • rea treat fleets into tight circle with prows facing outwards (hedgehog counter formation)
• Periplous - ramming tactic Greek explain please

  expose enemys stern for easy ramming target
• shearing (similar to ramming) - Greek tactic

  sailing close to ship and use bronze battering ram to break off enemy’s oars

  this injures and kills rowers

  ship is vulnerable to follow up ramming attack
• Design of Athenian trireme

  long and thin - made of locally sourced pine

  bronze plated battering ram on front

  low to water - good stability

  thREE seats per bank

  sail

  35m long
• Hypozomata

  Two cables running front to back to keep tension in the trireme

  Help ships withstand stain of rapid rowing

  Means ships could be longer and narrower
• Hypozomota fun fact

  Athenian

  treason to tell a non - Athenian about it
• Typical crew of Athenian trireme

  170 rowers

  10 hoplite colíderes

  4 archers

  steersmen

  quartermaster

  piper

  trierarch
• Prescribed source - Lenormant Trireme Relief

  location = Athenian acropolis, dedicated to a god

  dedicated to hero Palos - large youthful figure
• Context and purpose of the Lenormant Trireme relief

  acropolis was Athens important religious sanctuary - houses Parthenon

  relief made from pentelic marble, high quality
• Key info about Athenian navy

  Largest navy, so preferred to fight naval battles - had lots of experience

  Preferred ramming technique to boarding, so had more rowers and less soldiers
• Who was in command of the navy at sea

  Trierarch

  if hedidn’t have much experience, steersman made important decisions
• Why did Rome not face much naval threats?

  Roman Empire controlled all of Mediterranean coastline

  Land was more important for defence
• What did Augustus establish for Rome

  full time roman navy paid by state

  put down pirates and transport soldiers and messages

  full of non - citizens

  rowers has same status as auxiliary soldiers (paid less and earn citizenship)
• What was command of the navy like?

  Senator called praefectus (position given by emperor, didnt have much experience)

  celusta in charge of rowers

  centurion in charge of soldiers who defend

  • command communicated by music + flag signala
• squadron of ten ships commanded by and individual ones

  navarch and Trierarch
• Main tactic of roman navy

  ram ship

  shear their oars before boarding with fully armed infantry soldiers

  periplous and diekplous - copied from Greek
• how did romans board enemy ships

  using a Corvus

  had grappling hooks and ladder
• did roman ships have archer

  yes
• What did larger roman ships carry

  catapults - launch fireballs against enemy to set them alight

  or use huge grappling hooks
• Roman warships were copied from Greeks, how did they adapt?

  used quadrireme and he áreme

  some were better and faster

  some better for boarding and holding soldiers