Sparta Missile Ship

Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen

Fast, relatively powerful pursuit ships, well able to hunt down pirates and other seagoing scum.

Even the meanest slave can throw a javelin at the enemy.

It is thought that the Rhodians, a significant naval power in the eastern Mediterranean, developed the 'trihemiolia' or 'two-and-a-half' as a vessel for pirate hunting. Given that Rhodes is an island entirely reliant on the sea and shipping this is a believable theory. Pirates used the hemiola, a handy little vessel developed from the dieres or bireme, a ship with two rows of oars; it makes sense that pirate hunters would think of taking a trieres, or trireme, with three rows of oars and modifying it in a similar fashion. A trihemiolia still had three rows of oars on each side, but the top row was reduced to only half the number of oars, positioned midships. The result was a faster, handier vessel that provided a height advantage over a hemiola for any archers on board. There was also a strategic benefit to the Rhodians, who could only draw on the manpower of one island: they could have six trieres warships with full complements of rowers, or seven trihemiolias for the same number of men. The useful design was soon adopted by other maritime powers around the Mediterranean.

(Helot Javelinmen)
An unfree class of non-citizens within Sparta's zone of control, the helots were slaves in most respects. Agricultural labourers, they worked the rich valleys of Eurotas and Pamisos, on which Laconia and Messenia were situated, and were forced to give up half of their produce to the Spartan elite. In addition, helots would also be assigned to Spartan citizens as household servants. Sometimes pressed into military service, helots would be employed as peltasts, and in some cases gained their freedom through such service. Following an earthquake in 464BC which devastated Sparta and possibly claimed as many as 20,000 lives the helots, mainly from Messenia, revolted alongside the perioikoi of Aithaia and Thouria. Cruel and bitter treatment of the helots by their Spartan overlords intensified after this event, and may have led to the tradition of the autumnal krypteia. A declaration of war against the helots made by the ephors, during the krypteia members of the Spartan agoge could prove their skill as warriors. Armed only with a knife, they were expected to live off the land whilst sanctioned to spy on, steal from, and kill the helots. However, this worked both ways, as any young Spartan caught by the helots could be beaten to death for allowing his capture.

Abilities

Pursuit Trihemiolia

• Row Hard 10
  Increases speed for 10 strokes.
  Ship speed

Attributes

• Resistant to Fatigue
  Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
• Hide (scrub & forest)
  This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Pursuit Trihemiolia

• Poor hull strength
• Medium crew
• Uncatchable
• Weak ramming
• Poor boarding
• Average missile combat

Helot Javelinmen

• Short range
• Fast rate of fire
• Very good damage and armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Very poor morale

Sparta Units
General (1)
1.Royal Spartans
Missile Infantry (5)
2.Gorgo's Skirmishers
3.Helot Archers
4.Helot Javelinmen
5.Helot Slingers
6.Perioikoi Peltasts
Pike Infantry (2)
7.Perioikoi Pikemen
8.Spartan Pikemen
Spear Infantry (6)
9.Heroes of Sparta
10.Perioikoi Hoplites
11.Perioikoi Spears
12.Royal Spartans
13.Spartan Hoplites
14.Spartan Youths
Melee Cavalry (1)
15.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (2)
16.Skirmisher Cavalry
17.Tarantine Cavalry
Fixed Artillery (4)
18.Greek Giant Ballista
19.Greek Polybolos
20.Greek Bastion Scorpion
21.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (7)
22.Greek Bastion Ballista
23.Greek Ballista
24.Greek Beehive Onager
25.Greek Scorpion
26.Greek Heavy Onager
27.Greek Bastion Onager
28.Greek Onager
Admiral (2)
29.Scorpion Trieres - Helot Slingers
30.Assault Hexeres - Spartan Hoplites
Melee Ship (4)
31.Assault Tetreres - Perioikoi Hoplites
32.Fire Pot Dieres - Perioikoi Hoplites
33.Assault Dieres - Perioikoi Hoplites
34.Assault Hexeres - Spartan Hoplites
Missile Ship (7)
35.Scorpion Penteres - Helot Archers
36.Missile Penteres - Helot Archers
37.Tower Penteres - Helot Archers
38.Raiding Hemiolia - Helot Javelinmen
39.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen
40.Scorpion Trieres - Helot Slingers
41.Missile Trieres - Helot Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
42.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
43.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)