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Byzantine Dromon Warship

Type Object Region Eastern Mediterranean Time 501–600

The dromon was the main Byzantine galley warship of the sixth century, noted for its double banks of oars, lateen sail, and ram, often fitted with a …

Timeline

  1. c. 527–565Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireDuring the reign of Justinian I, Byzantium built dromons on a large scale in the docks of Constantinople and in Egypt, Syria, and elsewhere, supporting the wars against the Vandals and Ostrogoths and escorting Mediterranean trade.
  2. c. 678–700Aegean Sea · Aegean SeaIn the mid to late sixth century, dromons were progressively fitted with siphōn devices capable of spraying incendiary fluid, laying the tactical groundwork for later repelling Arab fleets in the Aegean and becoming the core of Byzantine coastal defense.

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