03-05-2009, 03:24 PM
What were the factors which caused such an effective weapon as the ram to be completely abandoned in favour of grappling and missile tactics at the end of antiquity? Why did the Byzantine Dromon, and their Arab enemies, relied again on ancient pre-Salamis grappling tactics? Lack of manpower, of wood? A change in ship building technique? Or were early medieval warships in the Med simply a step backwards from higher Hellenistic and Roman military standards?
Stefan (Literary references to the discussed topics are always appreciated.)
