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BYZANTINE DROMON
The dromons were the most
important warships of the
Byzantine navy.
They were swift galleys,
powered by oars and sail. Instead of the
partially-submerged bronze bow-ram that were on the
Greek triremes and
biremes, dromons
had a long and pointed bow “spur” to
break enemy oars and also to punch a hole in enemy hull
at a greater distance.
In 672, three great Muslim fleets were dispatched by the
Muslim Caliph Mu’awiya to clear the sea lanes and
prepare for a Muslim army to besiege Constantinople. The
Arab armada landed at
Cyzicus on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara.
A base was established, and from here the Arab fleets
blockaded Constantinople and support the Arab land
forces.
This was
not the first time the great city had stood siege. Its
massive triple walls, constructed in the 5th century,
had never been breached. However, with command of the
sea around the city as well as an army camped outside
the walls, the Arabs could cut Constantinople off from
outside supply.
The Arab warriors that day were sailing ships of the
same design as the Byzantines. Unlike the Arab dromons,
though, the main weapon of the Byzantine was no
longer their ship’s beaks, or even their deck-mounted
catapults. Instead, siphons and pumping devices were
mounted on their bows. Armed with this new
“super-weapon” called that shot
Greek Fire,
the Byzantine dromons defeated the much larger Arab
fleet. Its grand admiral, Yazid ibn Shagara, was killed.
45 years
later, the Arabs returned to attempt another siege and
suffered a similar outcome. Later invaders would meet
the same fate, as Byzantine fire dromons defeated fleets
of Vikings, Rus, Venetians, and Pisans. The Byzantines
also used Greek Fire to devastating effect during the
Bulgarian war of 970–971, when the fire-carrying
Byzantine ships blockaded the Danube.
Armed with
Greek Fire, the Byzantine Dromon was able to reassert
Eastern Roman dominance over the waters of the empire;
warding its seaborne flank as ably as the triple walls
of Theodosius warded its capital.
The composition of
Greek Fire is still unknown. The flammable chemical substance
had several unique and unusual properties that made it a superb
weapon for naval warfare: it burned on water (possibly
because quicklime or calcium phosphide were part of the
mixture); and, according to some interpretations, was
even ignited by water (a chemical reaction.) In
addition, as numerous writers testify, it could be
extinguished only by a few substances, such as sand,
vinegar, or old urine.
Greek Fire made the
Byzantine dromons superior than Greek
triremes and biremes.
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This primarily wood Dromon model
is
42" L x 25" T x 7"W (16" with oars out) $3,740
 Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous USA included. Other
places: $400 flat rate.
This
model is in stock and can be shipped within 5 business
days.
This accurate model is
built with the help of the book The Age of
the Dromon: The Byzantine Navy ca 500-1204. Note
the beautiful stern that can
be made by ModelShipMaster.com.
For a display case,
please click here:
Model Ship Display Case
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