Dromon

Illustration from the Madrid Skylitzes showing the Byzantine fleet repelling the Rus' attack on Constantinople in 941, and the use of the spurs to smash the oars of the Rus' vessels. Boarding actions and hand-to-hand fighting determined the outcome of most naval battles in the Middle Ages.[1]

A dromon (from Greek δρόμων, dromōn, lit. 'runner') was a type of galley and the most important warship of the Byzantine navy from the 5th to 12th centuries AD, when they were succeeded by Italian-style galleys. It was developed from the ancient liburnian, which was the mainstay of the Roman navy during the Empire.[2]

Middle English dromond and Old French dromont are derived from the dromon, and described any particularly large medieval ship.[3]

  1. ^ Pryor & Jeffreys 2006, p. 144.
  2. ^ Pryor & Jeffreys 2006, pp. 123–126.
  3. ^ The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, "Dromond".