Assault Tetreres - Mercenary Massilian Hoplites

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.

(Mercenary Massilian Hoplites)
The oldest city in France, Marseille, started life as a colony of the Ionian city of Phocaea in around 600BC. Legend has it that Phocis married the daughter of the local Ligurian tribe of Segobringii, Nannus, and settled there, but in reality it was probably settled by Greek refugees from the Persian attack on Phocaea. Built on rocky terrain and chosen for its natural, deep harbour and easy access to the Rhone valley, Massilia became a popular trading port situated in the middle of the Mediterranean coast. Olives and grapes were introduced to Gaul for the first time and spread north. In turn, trade with the tribes of Gaul grew, resulting in some integration between the populations. The Celts exchanged animals, grain, tin, slaves and even amber for Greek luxury goods. In 125BC the Greeks turned to the Romans to protect them against the Ligurians. Rome saved Massilia and stayed to make a foothold in Gaul, although the Greeks managed to maintain autonomy. Foolishly in 49BC the city sided with Pompey against Julius Caesar in the Roman civil war. Caesar’s Legions stormed the city, ransacked the Hellenic treasures and took its fleet. Following this, Massilia suffered as Caesar moved trade to Narbonne and Arles, later losing its independence as a self-governing city.

Unit Name Assault Tetreres - Mercenary Massilian Hoplites

Main Unit Key inv_greek_four_mercenary_massilian_hoplites

Land Unit Key inv_mercenary_massilian_hoplites

Naval Unit Key greek_four

Soldiers 120

Category Medium Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 500

Recruitment Cost 500

Upkeep Cost 375

Ship Health 825

└ Ship greek_four

Ship Speed 6

Melee Attack 36

Weapon Damage 30

├ Melee Weapon rome_hoplite_spear_elite

├ Melee Damage Base 22

├ Melee Damage Ap 8

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 15

├ Bonus vs Elephants 15

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 26

Melee Defence 57

├ Base Defence 42

├ Shield hoplite

└ Shield Defence 15

Armour 90

├ Armour mail_improved

├ Armour Defence 45

└ Shield Armour 45

Health 65

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_hoplite

├ Man Health 45

└ Bonus Hit Points 20

Base Morale 65

Abilities

• Row Hard 20
  Increases speed for 20 strokes.
  Ship speed

• Hoplite Wall
  The unit moves into close wall formation.
  Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Acceleration, speed

Attributes

• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Encourage
  This unit provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
• Formation Attack
  The unit will try to stay in formation when in melee.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Average hull strength
• Medium crew
• Average speed
• Average ramming
• Average boarding

• Good defensive unit
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Average attack
• Normal morale

Rise of the Republic Mercenaries Pool