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The warshipsThe most important Byzantine naval ship was the dromon, a light and swift boat which came in many different forms and sizes. It had two or three masts, was two-decked, and could be up to 55 metres long and six metres wide. The ship was manned according to its type and dimensions. Some could carry 100, 200 or even 300 men of whom some were marines who in battle were supported by a number of the rowers.
Byzantine dromon (drawn reconstruction) The dromons were each equipped with a xylokastron ("wooden castle"), a tower around the main mast from which the marines hurled their spears and used their bows, or threw stones and pieces of metal at the enemy. At the prow and stern were fixed mechanical devices known as toxobolistres which were used to fire small arrows (myies). These ships are described in the sources as tube-bearing dromons because of the pipe-like weapons they bore to douse enemy ships with Greek fire.
Tube-bearing dromon Such ships are described by Anna Komnene in the Alexiad: "The emperor knew that the Pisans were skilled in warfare at sea and was afraid to clash with them. Thus he ordered the construction on all the ships of bronze and iron heads of lions and other wild animals of all types, with open mouths and covered in gold leaf, so that their appearance alone was enough to spread fear. The liquid fire that was to attack the enemy would pass through the mouths of these heads, so that it would appear verily that they were vomiting forth flames..."The marines also used smaller dispensers of liquid fire that could be operated by a single person, the cheirosiphones. Although originally in the 9th century the chelandion was a different type of ship from the dromon, both terms came to be used later for the same vessel, as Basileios Parakoimomenos attests in his On Naval Warfare (2nd half of the 10th century). Some late Byzantine authors, however, do attest to a distinction being made between the chelandion and the dromon. The word dromon (in Greek edramon means «I ran») suggests the ship's speed, while the chelandion (from chetys, Greek for «eel») refers to its elongated shape and was a term used in common parlance. The dromons-chelandia in certain instances were used as horse carriers, each capable of holding twelve horses. The pamphyloi were smaller ships than the dromons, nevertheless just such as ship was the flagship of the imperial fleet according to the emperor Leo VI. It was very fast, well equipped and had a select crew and experienced marines. |
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