Chelandion: Difference between revisions
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rv - well, this one source is the most up-to-date and scholarly source on the Byz. navy, unlike these websites. E.g. direct descent from the triremes is wrong. Most of what the new additions have to say is already included in the article either way |
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In the 10th century, ''chelandia'' formed the bulk of the [[Byzantine navy]], serving in two types: the ''chelandion ousiakon'' ({{Polytonic|χελάνδιον οὑσιακόν}}) or simply ''ousiakon'' or ''ousiakos'', so named because it was manned by an ''ousia'' of 108 men, and the ''chelandion pamphylon'' (χελάνδιον πάμφυλον), or simply ''pamphylon'' or ''pamphylos'', crewed with up to 120–160 men, its name either implying an origin in the region of [[Pamphylia]] as a transport ship or its crewing with "picked crews" (from {{polytonic|πᾶν+φῦλον}}, "all tribes").<ref>{{Harvnb|Pryor|Jeffreys|2006|pp=189–192, 372}}</ref> |
In the 10th century, ''chelandia'' formed the bulk of the [[Byzantine navy]], serving in two types: the ''chelandion ousiakon'' ({{Polytonic|χελάνδιον οὑσιακόν}}) or simply ''ousiakon'' or ''ousiakos'', so named because it was manned by an ''ousia'' of 108 men, and the ''chelandion pamphylon'' (χελάνδιον πάμφυλον), or simply ''pamphylon'' or ''pamphylos'', crewed with up to 120–160 men, its name either implying an origin in the region of [[Pamphylia]] as a transport ship or its crewing with "picked crews" (from {{polytonic|πᾶν+φῦλον}}, "all tribes").<ref>{{Harvnb|Pryor|Jeffreys|2006|pp=189–192, 372}}</ref> |
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'''Remark''' |
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The above information comes from one and only source, and includes a number of inaccurecies: |
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Helandion (Greek: χελάνδιον) (Medieval Latin: chelandium) was a Byzantine '''secondary''' navy ship for transporting horses, related to the ancient birene/trirene. The word is of '''ancient''' Greek origin, related to κέλης (kéles, = riding-horse) probably combined with the word άγω (ago, = carry), it was transfered to the Larin language and then came back to Greek language, hardly recognizable. Actually the horse-transporting ancient Greek ship was copied by the Romans who kept its original name (slightly changed). The Byzantines continued using the ship under the Roman name. The ship had one big square sail on each of the two masts, but could also travel by rowing. The Byzantine chelandion of the 9th/10th century could carry about 25 horses. It had light arms for its defence, including the famous "liquid fire" (Greek: υγρόν πυρ) of the Byzantines. In most drawings it is depicted with a ram at its prow, just over the sea surface. |
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Although in the 9th century the chelandion was a different type of ship from the dromon, both terms came to be used later for the same vessel, as Basileios Parakoimomenos attests in his ''On Naval Warfare'' (2nd half of the 10th century). In 960AD the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus Phocas used 100 dromons and 200 chelandia to carry 77,000 soldiers and re-occupy Crete from the Arabs. |
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Some late Byzantine authors, however, do attest to a distinction being made between the chelandion and the dromon. The word dromon (in Greek ''edramon'' - ἒδραμον means "I ran") suggests the ship's speed, while chelandion was heavier and slower. |
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http://www.neobyzantine.org/byzantium/army/navy4.php |
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http://www.hellinon.net/ByzantineWracks.htm |
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http://sfrang.com/historia/selida311.htm |
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There is also a greek book called ''Navmachika'', which has extracts from byzantine military books that reffer to the navy. It is quite informative. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 23:55, 4 February 2010
Chelandion (Greek: χελάνδιον) was a Byzantine galley warship, a variant of the dromōn that also functioned as a cargo transport.
Its name derives from the Greek word kelēs, "courser", and first appeared during the early 8th century.[1] In the medieval Latin used in Western Europe, it was rendered chelandium or scelandrium (and thence the 12th-century sandanum transport), while the Arabs rendered the name as shalandī (pl. shalandiyyāt) and used it for a probably similar type of vessels in their own navies.[2] In common with the general characteristics of the dromōn type, the chelandion was a bireme galley, i.e. with two rows of oars, which provided its main means of propulsion, although it also featured one or two lateen sails, and was steered by two quarter rudders at the stern. It could also be equipped with siphons for projecting the feared Greek fire, the Byzantine navy's secret incendiary weapon.
The term chelandion is usually used interchangeably with dromōn in medieval literary sources, leading to much confusion as to the exact nature of the ship and its differences with the dromōn proper. It appears however that the type originated as a horse-transport (hippagōgon). This in turn implies some differences in construction from the standard dromōn: at the very least, the presence of a special compartment running the length of the vessel amidships to accommodate a row of horses would increase its beam and hold depth.[3]
In the 10th century, chelandia formed the bulk of the Byzantine navy, serving in two types: the chelandion ousiakon (χελάνδιον οὑσιακόν) or simply ousiakon or ousiakos, so named because it was manned by an ousia of 108 men, and the chelandion pamphylon (χελάνδιον πάμφυλον), or simply pamphylon or pamphylos, crewed with up to 120–160 men, its name either implying an origin in the region of Pamphylia as a transport ship or its crewing with "picked crews" (from πᾶν+φῦλον, "all tribes").[4]
References
- ^ Pryor & Jeffreys 2006, pp. 166–169
- ^ Pryor & Jeffreys 2006, pp. xlvi–xlvii, 168–169, 190
- ^ Pryor & Jeffreys 2006, pp. 166–169, 188–192, 322–325, 449
- ^ Pryor & Jeffreys 2006, pp. 189–192, 372
Sources
- Pryor, John H.; Jeffreys, Elizabeth M. (2006), The Age of the ΔΡΟΜΩΝ: The Byzantine Navy ca. 500–1204, Brill Academic Publishers, ISBN 978-9004151970
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