Medium Assault Raider, Short Swords

Description

Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.

These irregular, novice warriors were drawn from among the farmers, hunters and young men of the tribe. They carried Celtic shortswords, which were cutting and hacking blades, unlike the thrusting design of the Roman gladius. The shortsword developed from the earlier Celtic longsword, and was not as expensive to make. With little armour and only a simple shield these irregulars may have been lacking in equipment and skills but they made up for it by their numbers. Some warriors would also carry javelins or heavy, weighted darts to throw in the last moments before charging into melee. This gave them uses as both skirmishers and light infantry.