Greek Missile Penteres, Longbow Hunters

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.

The German warrior was exposed on an open, flat battlefield but, when fighting in hills and woodland, he had the advantage. Most were raised as hunters in dense forests, so became expert at stealthy manoeuvres and laying ambush. Whilst their battle tactics were proven, their longbows, often two metres in length and made of yew, lacked the power and accuracy of composite bows made in the east. Their ammunition was also somewhat lacking: limited iron supplies meant these men often fired bone-tipped arrows that struggled to pierce enemy armour. On the battlefield, archers lined up behind slingers - afforded some protection by the shields of the warriors in front of them.