menu
HomeHome / Divide et Impera / Massalia / Units / Trieres - Massaloi Epibatoi
Trieres - Massaloi Epibatoi MassaliaMassalia Melee Ship

Trieres - Massaloi Epibatoi

A trireme is a 37 meter long oared warship (galley) with three decks of oars, developed from the bireme in the 5th century BCE. Popular with Carthaginian, Greek and Roman navies, this is the main warship of the classical age.

(Massilian Marines)

Soldiers trained for perilous service aboard the galleys of the navy, but also as an offensive force on land.

Of all the warships found in the ancient world, it is the trireme, or trieres, that remains the most famous and recognisable. Nearly all Hollywood 'sword and sandal' movies will include a trireme somewhere. The vessel was entirely designed for war. Its name came from the three rows of oars carried on each side, stacked above each other in staggered columns to give the rowers some room to work. The top row of oars pivoted on a rowlock, or oarlock, mounted on an outrigger projecting from the hull. This allowed the top oars to pitch down at a sharper angle to reach the sea without getting tangled in the lower ones. The trireme was a greyhound of a ship, capable of high-speed dashes with a well-trained crew and, contrary to popular belief, not all rowers were slaves. Aboard Greek vessels they were citizens, and were given respect, not the lash. They were also largely fair-weather ships, and unsuited to rough seas such as the Atlantic; the lowest level of oars were, at most, less than half a metre above the waterline. That, however, did not stop the trireme being a superb weapon against other ships: a high-speed ramming attack could rip a hole in the side of almost any target. The type was also large enough to be used in other ways, which lead to it carrying archers and assorted light artillery pieces.

(Massaloi Epibatoi)
The thureos, a large oval-shaped shield, became common throughout the Hellenistic world from the 3rd century BC. Made from wood covered in hide, it differed from the earlier Greek hoplon in having a central handgrip, which was protected by a vertical spine running the length of the shield. This in turn could be further reinforced by the addition of a wide metal strip that protected the grip and the user’s hand. Inspired by the sub-rectangular and oval shields of the Celts, possibly through contact with the migrating Galatians, its usage seems to have spread through the Illyrian and Thracian tribes before it was adopted by the Greeks. Although large, the thureos was light in comparison to the traditional hoplon, and was adopted by heavily-armoured peltasts. Named after their shields, 'thureophoroi' could fight as common peltasts, skirmishing with javelins, but could also form up with their larger shields and longer spears in a similar fashion to a phalanx. The versatile and useful design of the thureos meant it was used by many armies, including the auxiliaries and cavalry of the later Roman Legions.

Trieres - Massaloi Epibatoi

Unit Name

Trieres - Massaloi Epibatoi

Main Unit Key

Gre_Assault_Trireme_Mas

Land Unit Key

Mas_Marines

Naval Unit Key

greek_three

Soldiers

80

Category

Medium Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

1188

Recruitment Cost

1188

Upkeep Cost

297

Missile Damage

11

├ Missile Weapon

prec1

├ Projectile

prec1

├ Missile Damage

11

├ Missile Ap Damage

0

└ Base Reload Time

10

Accuracy

5

Range

80

Reload

0

Shots Per Minute

6

Ammunition

4

Ship Health

693

└ Ship

greek_three

Ship Speed

4

Melee Attack

27

Weapon Damage

11

├ Melee Weapon

bsword3

├ Weapon Damage

11

├ Weapon Deadliness

0

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Cavalry

0

├ Bonus vs. Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

13

Melee Defence

79

├ Base Defence

21

├ Shield

shield6

└ Shield Defence

58

Armour

10

├ Armour

arm6

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

24

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_heavy_slow

├ Man Health

20

└ Bonus Hit Points

4

Base Morale

60

Abilities

Trieres
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed
Massaloi Epibatoi
  • Stamina (poor)
    Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat.

Attributes

  • Disciplined
    This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Trieres
  • Poor hull strength
  • Light crew
  • Fast speed
  • Weak ramming
  • Poor boarding
  • Average missile combat
Massaloi Epibatoi
  • Good attack
  • Average defence
  • Average damage but low armour penetration
  • Normal morale
Requires Buildings
Trieres - Massaloi Epibatoi Lv. 0 Port of Alexandria
Port of Alexandria
(dei_port_ALEXANDRIA_2)
Level 1
Port of Alexandria
Port of Alexandria
(dei_port_ALEXANDRIA_3)
Level 2
Port of Alexandria
Port of Alexandria
(dei_port_ALEXANDRIA_4)
Level 3
Cothon
Cothon
(dei_port_CARTHAGE_2)
Level 1
Cothon
Cothon
(dei_port_CARTHAGE_3)
Level 2
Cothon
Cothon
(dei_port_CARTHAGE_4)
Level 3
Port of Massalia
Port of Massalia
(dei_port_MASSILIA_2)
Level 1
Port of Massalia
Port of Massalia
(dei_port_MASSILIA_3)
Level 2
Port of Massalia
Port of Massalia
(dei_port_MASSILIA_4)
Level 3
Port of Rhodos
Port of Rhodos
(dei_port_RHODES_2)
Level 1
Port of Rhodos
Port of Rhodos
(dei_port_RHODES_3)
Level 2
Port of Rhodos
Port of Rhodos
(dei_port_RHODES_4)
Level 3
Lacydon
Lacydon
(rom_HELLENIC_port_Lacydon_5)
Level 4
Military Wharf
Military Wharf
(rom_HELLENIC_port_large_military_2)
Level 1
Drydock
Drydock
(rom_HELLENIC_port_large_military_3)
Level 2
Military Port
Military Port
(rom_HELLENIC_port_large_military_4)
Level 3
Docks
Docks
(rom_HELLENIC_port_minor_small_military_3)
Level 2
Docks
Docks
(rom_HELLENIC_port_small_military_3)
Level 2
Neosoikoi
Neosoikoi
(rom_HELLENIC_port_small_military_4)
Level 3
Garrison Buildings
Trieres - Massaloi Epibatoi x 1 Neosoikoi
Neosoikoi
(rom_HELLENIC_port_small_military_4)
Level 3
Faction Availability
Grand Campaign
Caesar in Gaul
Hannibal at the Gates