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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Spartan Gerousia / Units / Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen
Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen Spartan GerousiaSpartan Gerousia 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.

Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen
Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen

Unit Name

Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen

Main Unit Key

Gre_Hel_Javelinmen_Two_Halfer

Land Unit Key

Gre_Helot_Javelinmen

Naval Unit Key

greek_two_halfer

Soldiers

100

Category

Light Ship

Class

Missile Ship

Custom Battle Cost

450

Recruitment Cost

450

Upkeep Cost

90

Missile Damage

29

├ Missile Weapon

rome_wooden_javelin

├ Projectile

javelin_wooden

├ Missile Damage

20

├ Missile Ap Damage

9

└ Base Reload Time

10

Accuracy

5

Range

80

Reload

13

Shots Per Minute

7

Ammunition

7

Ship Health

585

└ Ship

greek_two_halfer

Ship Speed

7

Melee Attack

8

Weapon Damage

24

├ Melee Weapon

rome_shortsword

├ Melee Damage Base

20

├ Melee Damage Ap

4

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

0

├ Bonus vs Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

3

Melee Defence

37

├ Base Defence

12

├ Shield

pelta

└ Shield Defence

25

Armour

15

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

5

Health

45

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_light

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

5

Base Morale

25

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
Requires Buildings
Pursuit Trihemiolia - Helot Javelinmen Lv. 0 Trading Port
Trading Port
(greek_port_trade_3)
Level 2
Emporion
Emporion
(greek_port_trade_4)
Level 3