FYI 1.0

At Amazon.com : on comment page for Imperial Roman Warships NV 230

I please You to post correct and scientific critics on the PUBLIC post in Amazon. In Your blog You are master, and You can write whatever You want. You had do a public critic, please post a scientific comment which justifies Your critic. To these I will answer with my scientific work. Please post also the list of Your articles and books on the topic.
The Dhromon You criticized is mainly based on the works of
Bonino, M., Archeologia e tradizione navale tra la Romagna ed il Po, Ravenna, 1978
Morrison, J. S. & Gardiner, R. (ed.), The Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-Classical Times. Conway Maritime, London, 1995;
ILIAS AMBROSIANA
Prokopios of course
Some details are from the graffito of Malaga
Anchor from the garden of Museum of Marsin
The warships from Yenicapi are related to 10th - 11th century context, but for the ship structure I have used some technical detail visible in the VI-VII century Yenicapi excavations, where I worked with Cemal Pulak for some days.
Best wishes
Raffaele D'Amato

 Dear Raffaelle,
I will not copy what I have written at my blog here. This is not a forum for discussion. When the new book comes out if there is something to be written maybe I can write it on a comment for that Amazon page. Anyone can make comment at a blog and I do not censor comments. It is quite public on a blog.
My detailed criticism of the Osprey books is on my blog Rams, Ravens and Wrecks. If you search with the 'label' 'D'Amato ' or 'Osprey' you will see all posts, keep using the 'older posts' button until there are no more
Regards

I will make a review of the book (Osprey NV 244, Imperial Roman Warships 193-567AD) when it is
published and I have a copy in hand. Dr Raffaele has been kind and open to say exactly how he built up the dromon on the cover. I still think it is odd and will explain in more detail when I review the book.

MORE LIBURNIANS

Digging deeper to find a more definitive idea of a liberna....

One can  see from different illustrations in the Vatican Virgil 3225 - fourth century - ships that answer to the description of a liberna from the previous blogpost.

These manuscripts are early medieval copies of originals  that were executed in an 'antique' style. Therefore they can show ships of a time before their date of execution. In the fifth century, for example, writers could not explain what a ram was, the spur was by then used on warships, but artist still drew a ram. Detailed study has shown that the copyists were extremely diligent in their work. They even tried to use the same brush and pen strokes as the original artists.

The overall form reminds of the Trajan's Column ships.

THE RAM
Many smaller galley depictions of AD date seem to show the upturned forefoot as seen on Trajan's Column. Whether this is truly a ram has been debated. It seems to ultimately morph into the spur of a dromon. It could be that we see a lighter ram/spur forefoot which was mainly for running down smaller vessels. Instead of impaling smaller vessels they would be run over and/or capsized. Ther eis also a proembelion which argues for an intended rolling of the target.

In the later MSS3687  - fifth century - Aeneas' ships are proto-dromoi and have a spur, not a ram. They have a chain supporting them. The spur was a long structure  requiring support.

 The weight and speed of the attacking  ship sank or over-turned the targetted ship.

Spurred dromoi over-turn baddy ships. MADRID SKYLITZES,11cen.

 THE DECK

 The deck is not considered by the artist when he wants to show the ship under oars. He shows the oarsmen working but they sit too high.

  A mosaic from the third century Tunis is very similar.

Now the artist will show the ships manned for fighting. The troops must be on a deck and now the oarsmen are invisible. This is probably the best depiction of a liburna in combat apart from the rig being in place. The sails are not full, maybe they are being taken down.

 Another folio of the same MSS shows ships drawn in another style. All the details of a liburna are present and one can see the men on deck are not oarsmen. The deck is in place and the oars are out.

"Come away fellow sailors. Your anchors be weighing!"