dromon

E309605

A dromon was a fast, oared warship that formed the backbone of the Byzantine Empire’s Mediterranean naval forces during the Middle Ages.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
dromon canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Byzantine warship
oared warship
warship
category Byzantine navy ships
galleys
medieval warships
constructionMaterial wood
crewType marines
rowers
sailors
deckConfiguration usually one main deck
designedFor maneuverability
speed
developedFrom Roman liburnian-type galleys
etymology from Greek "dromōn" meaning "runner" or "racer"
hullType long, narrow hull
languageOfName Greek
notableFeature use of Greek fire
oarArrangement single bank of oars
sometimes two banks of oars
operatedInPeriod Middle Ages
primaryRole escort
naval warfare
patrol
raiding
propulsion oars
sails
replacedBy Italian galleys
strategicImportance control of sea lanes in the eastern Mediterranean
timeOfOrigin late Roman period
timeOfPeakUse 10th century
11th century
typicalArmament Greek fire siphons
archers
ballistae
catapults
marines
typicalRigging lateen sail
usedAgainst Arab fleets
Latin powers
pirates
usedAs naval backbone of the Byzantine Empire
usedBy Byzantine Empire
Byzantine navy
usedFor amphibious operations
blockades
convoy protection
usedIn Mediterranean Sea

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.