Missile Penteres, Archers

Description

The 'five', called a quinquereme in Latin and a penteres in Greek, was a ship first used by the Syracusans against the Carthaginians sometime around 398BC. Like other polyremes, a term meaning many-oared, the chances were that it did not have five banks of oars but that the word 'oar' was used to mean 'rower'. In such a case, the arrangement of rowers would be two-two-one going up from the waterline. It makes sense to keep as much weight as possible low in the vessel to help its stability; a high centre of gravity makes any ship liable to capsize if struck from the side. The quinquereme, then, would be a formidable vessel both in terms of appearance and combat value. With a large fighting contingent aboard and plenty of deck space, this heavy vessel could cope with most enemies and threats.

Drawn from a vast area and numerous tribes, the warriors of sub-Saharan Africa were unsurprisingly diverse in appearance and culture. They all possessed long and rich warrior traditions, such as that of the Nubians and their descendants who ruled Kush, and Aksum. Despite tribal differences weapons and equipment differed only in detail: spears, javelins, bows and short swords were favoured. Relatively little armour was worn, but some tribes did employ wicker, wood or hide shields. Adornments and decorations varied greatly and some groups sported warpaint. Aethiopians in Persian service were known for painting themselves chalk white on one side and vermillion on the other, and using spears and bows of palmwood. Fighting as allies and mercenaries for Carthage, Persia, and the eastern Successors, tribesmen could be found throughout Africa and Asia Minor.