A sail is sighted over the horizon! A first view of the oncoming Osprey New Vanguard 244 Imperial Roman Warship 193AD to 565AD. Giuseppe Rava has been unable to contain himself and released a view of the cover before the publisher themselves have.
The splendid view of a medieval galea equipped with personal little escape ( or ventilation ? ) doors for the rowers, a spectacular plinth for the bow-ballista near the bows which offers zero protection, a mammoth stern-castle and - a sight not seen for a couple of hundred years ...( and never seen again ..) an oarbox.
This oarbox is a special one with an open top. This open top has to be covered with a tarpaulin to keep arrows out. The oars are bizarre - try to extend the angle of the upper oars into the ship and imagine how much space there is to row with the things ......They plunge into the sea at an extreme incline. The lower rank of rowers have it better, they are have little hatches to open if things get too smelly inside. They may even be naked in there ? Their oar shafts are not so steeply inclined so they have it easy. The rig is lateen, so this would argue for the vessel being a dromon but the fact that it is a bireme means it cannot be a dromon.: unless we are in the period well after the stated terminus for the book of 565AD.
The steering oar is acting through a truly massive bracket stuck to the side of the vessel. Looks like a literal interpretation of a mosaic picture.
I do not know what the scenario for the picture is - maybe the battle of the Hellespont in 324AD where Constantinian forces defeated those of Licinius: hence the Christian emblems on the main vessel.
The bow of the ship coming into the picture from below is equipped with a forecastle mounting a torsion ballista. The planks that floor this position are something like 10 or 15 cm thick and 60cm wide. They shouldn't break in combat.
The forecast remains bleak for the third New Vanguard by the Deadly Duo, D'Amato and Rava.
Italian Blight; Hot air soon: Poor to severe becoming tragic: Low expectations, filling slowly with dubious interpretations. Text, moderate to dull.
Of course, I may be proved quite wrong.
Battle now identified HERE
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| Keeping the arrows out ! |
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| Ravenna ships: big brackets for steering oars |
The steering oar is acting through a truly massive bracket stuck to the side of the vessel. Looks like a literal interpretation of a mosaic picture.
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| John Coates as scale for bracket on Olympias |
I do not know what the scenario for the picture is - maybe the battle of the Hellespont in 324AD where Constantinian forces defeated those of Licinius: hence the Christian emblems on the main vessel.
The bow of the ship coming into the picture from below is equipped with a forecastle mounting a torsion ballista. The planks that floor this position are something like 10 or 15 cm thick and 60cm wide. They shouldn't break in combat.
The forecast remains bleak for the third New Vanguard by the Deadly Duo, D'Amato and Rava.Italian Blight; Hot air soon: Poor to severe becoming tragic: Low expectations, filling slowly with dubious interpretations. Text, moderate to dull.
Of course, I may be proved quite wrong.
Battle now identified HERE
I was struck how unlikely this picture was when I saw it plastered all over RAVAS Facebook together with a whole host of likes from people who think all history illustration should be lurid Technicolor. I made some mildly critical remarks underneath and was immediately told by RAVA to discuss the matter with DeAmato. I thought this was a case of an artist shifting the blame and said so. The rest had better be SILENCE as it got quite petty.
ReplyDelete.
I didn't even get round to mentioning the odd perspective or the treatment of waves as they approach the horizon.
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