Persian Assault Teteres, Scutarii

Description

There is a good deal of debate as to how large ancient warships worked; the principles are understood, but the details are not always so clear. A Roman 'quadreme' or Greek 'tetreres' would seem to have four rows of oars if the name is translated literally. However, it is unclear how four sets of oars each with one rower apiece could be used without them getting in a terrible tangle even with a magnificently trained crew, or how the top set of rowers would be able to handle the extremely long oars pitched at a steep angle and still produce any power. The chances are that the term 'oar' had become synonymous with 'rower' and that the lowest bank had more than one man per oar. The other option was to go back to a double row of oars, with two men apiece. Two banks of oars would also have made for a cheaper construction task for each ship. Either way, the result was a ship that could rival the lighter trireme in speed, yet had more deck space for a large fighting contingent or artillery pieces.

Scutarii, or shield bearers, take their name from the Latin word scutum, or shield, although it is highly unlikely the Iberians used this title for themselves. Regardless, the scutarii carried the thureos, a large, oval, wooden shield that was perfectly suited for use in man-to-man combat. They wore little armour, and this gave them greater mobility than many of their opponents, particularly the armoured Roman legionaries. This mobility was used to charge forward and then feign retreat in the hope of getting the enemy to pursue and break their lines. Once an enemy unit took the bait, the retreat would end, and a genuine attack on now-out-of-position and unsupported foes would be staged: a simple tactic, perhaps, but still a deadly one when used well.