Re: Rightarm Islanders (long)

• In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, donald@... wrote:
  >> From my reading of the subject many years ago triremes were a step
  > in an arms race involving bigger and bigger galleys. They are best
  > known because the Greeks used triremes to defeat the Persian biremes
  > at Salamis. > Donald Oddy
  > http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
  >
  

The main fighting force of the Persian navy at Salamis were triremes. Biremes and short biremes were common warships in ealier times. Phoenician biremes from as early as 700 BC are illustrated in the reliefs on the walls of Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh. Whilst there is some modern dispute on numbers Herodotus in Book 7 of the Histories gives the full strength of the Persian fleet as 1207 triremes of which the Phoenicians with the Syrians contributed 300. The Phoenician triremes are distinguished as being the fastest. Herodotus specifically says that galleys of 50 oars (pentekonters)and 30 oars (triakonters, horse transports and boats made up the remainder of the fleet bringing the total number of vessels 3000. He doesn't mention biremes which were probably obsolete by this period.

Thukydides in the introduction to the Pelopenesian War gives some history of the developoment of warships and the introduction of triremes by Greek states. His account at least implies that triremes weren't invented by the Greeks as he says that the Corinthinas were the first to build them in Hellas.

IMG the Holy Country warfleet is of galleys but the biggest would be pentekonters with more being triakonters and the majority being 20 oared ships with a stern and forecastle of the type used in New Kingdom Egypt. They are illustrated in reliefs from the time of Ramassess III and were the ships that fought off the invasion of the Sea Peoples around 1100 BC. The Sea Peoples ships on the same reliefs look very suitable as vessels for Wolf Pirates. These sort of ships give a more bronze age appearance to the Holy Country navy which I like. Triremes are rather too classical for them.             Received on Mon 17 Sep 2007 - 16:29:32 EEST