Liburna

A liburna was a type of small galley used for raiding and patrols. Originally utilized by the Liburnians, a pirate tribe from Dalmatia, it later became a staple of the Roman navy.^[1]

History

Battle between Liburnian and Picenian vessels depicted on the Novilara tablets (6th/5th century BCE).

A stone tablet (Stele di Novilara) discovered near ancient Pisaurum (now Pesaro) depicts a liburna in the midst of a naval battle. Dating back to the fifth or sixth century BCE, the image likely portrays a fictional clash between the Liburnian and Picene fleets. The liburna is depicted as a light vessel with a single row of oars, one mast, one sail, and a prow curving outward. Beneath the prow, a rostrum was installed for striking enemy ships below the waterline.

Initially resembling the ancient Greek penteconter,^[1] the liburna featured a single bench with 25 oars on each side. However, during the late Roman Republic, it evolved into a bireme with two rows of oars, maintaining its superior speed, agility, and maneuverability compared to triremes.^[1] The Romans adopted the liburna design, making it a vital component of the Roman navy, possibly through influence from the Macedonian navy^[clarify] in the latter half of the 1st century BCE. Liburnae played a pivotal role in the Battle of Actium in Greece (31 BCE), cementing the ascent of Augustus as the unrivaled ruler of the Roman Empire.^{[citation needed]}

The design of the liburna distinguished it from battle triremes, quadriremes, and quinqueremes.^[1]^[2] It measured 109 ft (33 m) in length, 5 m (16 ft) in width, with a draft of 1 m (3 ft 3 in). With two rows of oarsmen, each side had 18 oars. Under sail, the ship could achieve speeds of up to 14 knots, while rowing allowed for speeds exceeding 7 knots.^[3]

Such a vessel, also employed as a merchantman, might carry passengers, as recounted by Lycinus in the second-century dialogue Love Affairs (§6), traditionally attributed to Lucian: "I had a speedy vessel readied, the kind of bireme used above all by the Liburnians of the Ionian Gulf."^{[citation needed]}

After adopting the liburna, the Romans made modifications to incorporate rams and missile protection, enhancing its suitability for naval use. These enhancements offset the slight reduction in speed.^[4] Additionally, the regular Roman military unit needed simplification to ensure smoother operation of the ships. Each ship functioned independently, eliminating the need for the more complex organizational structure typically employed.^[5] It's likely that within the navy, liburnae of various sizes were utilized for specific tasks such as scouting and patrolling Roman waters against piracy.^[6] The Romans predominantly employed the liburna within the provinces of the empire, where these ships formed the core of the fleets.^[7]^[8]^[1] Small numbers of liburnae were also integrated into the fleets of Ravenna and Misenum, where many Illyrians, particularly Dalmatae, Liburnians, and Pannonians, served.

Gradually, liburnae became a generic term for various types of Roman ships, including cargo vessels in late antiquity. Tacitus and Suetonius used it interchangeably with "battleship." Inscriptions listed it last among classes of battleships: hexeres, penteres, quadrieres, trieres, liburna.^[9]

The liburna lent its name to a natural cove on the west coast of Tuscany. Over time, the cove's name evolved into Livorna and later Livorno — the name of a significant port city that emerged at the site long after the disappearance of this type of ship.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Starr 1941, p. 54ff.
^ Zaninović 1988, pp. 46–47
^ Gabriel 2007, pp. 36–43
^ Morrison & Coates 1996, pp. 170, 317
^ Starr 1941, p. 59
^ Morrison & Coates 1996, p. 317
^ Casson 1971, p. 141
^ Morrison & Coates 1996, p. 171
^ Zaninović 1988, pp. 43–67

Sources

Casson, Lionel (1971). Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0783705646.
Gabriel, Richard A. (2007). "The Roman Navy: Masters of the Mediterranean". Military History. 29 (9): 36–43.
Morrison, J. S.; Coates, J. F. (1996). Greek and Roman Warships 399–30 B.C. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Starr, Chester G. (1941). The Roman Imperial Navy 31 B.C. – A.D. 324. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Zaninović, M. (1988). "Liburnia Militaris". Opusc. Archeol. 13: 43–67.