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The Byzantine Dromon

Our domain name was inspired by the name of the primary Byzantine warship, the Dromon. Below is information about the Dromon, from History and Archaeology of the Ship, The Byzantine Navy, at  http://cma.soton.ac.uk/HistShip/shlect29.htm#SL585

The Roman trireme, together with the Liburnian, dominated the Mediterranean until the last stages of the Roman Empire but the continuing trend was for Roman ships, both galleys and cargo ships, to become lighter. In 323 AD the Emperor Constantine defeated a fleet of 350 triremes of the Eastern Emperor Licinius with a fleet of 200 liburnians, smaller and lighter than Roman triremes. The fifth century historian Zozimus identified Constantine's Liburnians as triacontors, descendants of the thirty oared open galleys of the early first millenium Greeks, though Morrison suggests that he actually means pentecontors, which in turn means Liburnians. Naval warfare had thus returned full circle to an emphasis on speed and manoeuvrability, though not necessarily for ramming. The Romans later reverted to the small galleys with single oarsmen rowing on one bank, almost exactly analogous to the Greek galleys of one thousand years earlier. The reasons for this development may have more to do with politics and economics than with advances in ship design. In all probability the building, maintenance and crewing of large complex oared warships was beyond the capacity of the later Empire. Two hundred years later the Eastern Emperor Justinian was using the same simple triacontor derivative as the mainstay of the Byzantine navy. In its new incarnation the triacontor came to be known as the Dromon, or racer. It would be unwise to push too far the implication that the Dromon was a lineal descendant of the 8th century BC triacontor or pentecontor. The latter were, after all, simply open rowing boats with certain structural characteristics determined by the means by which they were built and the environment in which it was intended to be used. The Dromon is more accurately a product of reverse evolution, paring away the complexities of large galleys in search of simpler and more cost effective solutions. In the process the technology of the triremes and the polyremes was lost, never to be recovered, and the Dromon provided a foundation for a new cycle of naval development which produced ships which had little or no lineal connection with those of antiquity.

The conditions which had inspired the first naval arms race were replicated as the Eastern Empire gained in power and prestige. As before the process of re evolution was aimed at increasing oar power by placing oarsmen on more than one level. Justinian's single banked triacontor thus mutated into the Moneres and Galea of the Byzantine Empire, whilst the word Dromon came to be applied to heavier and faster ships of the line, usually two banked galleys with not less than twenty five oars per bank, making one hundred oars in all. There are no contemporary illustrations of these vessels, though there are crude pictures from the medieval period (C14th) which show the use of Greek Fire. 

Literary sources and accounts reveal that there were at least three varieties of Dromon. These were, firstly the Ousiako which took its name from one company or Ousia of one hundred men. This was a two banked galleys with the lower rank rowing only, and the upper rank rowing or disengaging to fight when required. Secondly the slightly larger the Pamphylos with a crew of between 120-160. Secondly the Dromon proper, which had a crew of two hundred, fifty on the lower bank, and one hundred on the upper bank in two files, together with fifty marines.

All were similar in general outline, though little is know about their method of construction. All were aphract with gangways along each side and a central gangway. The side gangways and rowing positions were protected by light detachable shields and the rowers worked their oars directly through the hull without the benefit of an outrigger or the protection of an oar box. Dromons were still fitted with rams, but the main method of naval warfare was missile hurling with catapults, together with the new weapon of Greek fire which was projected through tubes built into the stem of the galley. The sterns, and stems were decorated with double upcurved runners which may represent a vestigial aphlaston, a last decorative link with their predecessors in the classical navies.

Thee Dromon survived well into the middle ages, though it was modified substantially. The ram gradually disappeared to be replaced by a projecting boarding plank. Sailing capability was provided but the square brailed sail of antiquity was replaced with the lateen rig, borrowed from the Arab ships which now operated in the Mediterranean. Some of the larger Dromons had a mizzen mast.

The conditions which had inspired the first naval arms race were replicated as the Eastern Empire gained in power and prestige. As before the process of re evolution was aimed at increasing oar power by placing oarsmen on more than one level. Justinian's single banked triacontor thus mutated into the Moneres and Galea of the Byzantine Empire, whilst the word Dromon came to be applied to heavier and faster ships of the line, usually two banked galleys with not less than twenty five oars per bank, making one hundred oars in all. There are no contemporary illustrations of these vessels, though there are crude pictures from the medieval period (C14th) which show the use of Greek Fire. 

Literary sources and accounts reveal that there were at least three varieties of Dromon. These were, firstly the Ousiako which took its name from one company or Ousia of one hundred men. This was a two banked galleys with the lower rank rowing only, and the upper rank rowing or disengaging to fight when required. Secondly the slightly larger the Pamphylos with a crew of between 120-160. Secondly the Dromon proper, which had a crew of two hundred, fifty on the lower bank, and one hundred on the upper bank in two files, together with fifty marines.

All were similar in general outline, though little is know about their method of construction. All were aphract with gangways along each side and a central gangway. The side gangways and rowing positions were protected by light detachable shields and the rowers worked their oars directly through the hull without the benefit of an outrigger or the protection of an oar box. Dromons were still fitted with rams, but the main method of naval warfare was missile hurling with catapults, together with the new weapon of Greek fire which was projected through tubes built into the stem of the galley. The sterns, and stems were decorated with double upcurved runners which may represent a vestigial aphlaston, a last decorative link with their predecessors in the classical navies.

The Dromon survived well into the middle ages, though it was modified substantially. The ram gradually disappeared to be replaced by a projecting boarding plank. Sailing capability was provided but the square brailed sail of antiquity was replaced with the lateen rig, borrowed from the Arab ships which now operated in the Mediterranean. Some of the larger Dromons had a mizzen mast.

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