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Army and Seas
Infantry Cavalry Naval Organisation Naval Command Official Duties Warships Naval Battles Greek fire Financing Catapults City walls Army and Seas

Duties of the crew and officers

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At the base of this pyramid of officers were, of course, the marines or kab-balarikoi, who manned the warships. Of these, theproreus was responsible for the training of the soldiers while the siphonarios was responsible for the pipes and pumps which shot Greek fire, a flammable liquid that could burn on water.

The grand dome Alexios Apokaukos.

In the llth century, the navy was manned almost exclusively by mercenaries. With the invasion of Asia Minor by the Seljuk Turks, the thematic fleets suf­fered a series of major setbacks which resulted in their breakdown. Thus, the remainder of the thematic fleets and the fleet of the capital were united under the grand doux, or admiral, who replaced the droungarios tou ploimou of the fleet. The latter now held the title of great droungarios, director of the imperial dromonion, a small fleet at the disposal of the emperor and his family. The doukes-katepano led units of the fleet based in the provinces.

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