liburna

File:Liburnianship.jpg

A stone tablet (Stele di Novilara) discovered near ancient Pisaurum (now Pesaro) depicts a liburna in the midst of a naval battle. Dating back to the fifth or sixth century BCE, the image likely portrays a fictional clash between the Liburnian and Picene fleets. The liburna is depicted as a light vessel with a single row of oars, one mast, one sail, and a prow curving outward. Beneath the prow, a rostrum was installed for striking enemy ships below the waterline.

Initially resembling the ancient Greek penteconter, the liburna featured a single bench with 25 oars on each side. However, during the late Roman Republic, it evolved into a bireme with two rows of oars, maintaining its superior speed, agility, and maneuverability compared to triremes. The Romans adopted the liburna design, making it a vital component of the Roman navy{{clarify span|, possibly through influence from the Macedonian navy|date=July 2023}} in the latter half of the 1st century BCE. Liburnae played a pivotal role in the Battle of Actium in Greece (31 BCE), cementing the ascent of Augustus as the unrivaled ruler of the Roman Empire.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

The design of the liburna distinguished it from battle triremes, quadriremes, and quinqueremes.{{harvnb|Zaninović|1988|pp=46–47}} It measured {{convert|109|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} in length, {{convert|5|m|0|abbr=on}} in width, with a draft of {{convert|1|m|abbr=on|-1}}. With two rows of oarsmen, each side had 18 oars. Under sail, the ship could achieve speeds of up to 14 knots, while rowing allowed for speeds exceeding 7 knots.{{harvnb|Gabriel|2007|pp=36–43}}

Such a vessel, also employed as a merchantman, might carry passengers, as recounted by Lycinus in the second-century dialogue Love Affairs (§6), traditionally attributed to Lucian: "I had a speedy vessel readied, the kind of bireme used above all by the Liburnians of the Ionian Gulf."{{cn|date=October 2021}}

File:058 Conrad Cichorius, Die Reliefs der Traianssäule, Tafel LVIII.jpg.]]

After adopting the liburna, the Romans made modifications to incorporate rams and missile protection, enhancing its suitability for naval use. These enhancements offset the slight reduction in speed.{{harvnb|Morrison|Coates|1996|pp=170, 317}} Additionally, the regular Roman military unit needed simplification to ensure smoother operation of the ships. Each ship functioned independently, eliminating the need for the more complex organizational structure typically employed.{{harvnb|Starr|1941|p=59}} It is likely that within the navy, liburnae of various sizes were utilized for specific tasks such as scouting and patrolling Roman waters against piracy.{{harvnb|Morrison|Coates|1996|p=317}} The Romans predominantly employed the liburna within the provinces of the empire, where these ships formed the core of the fleets.{{harvnb|Casson|1971|p=141}}{{harvnb|Morrison|Coates|1996|p=171}} Small numbers of liburnae were also integrated into the fleets of Ravenna and Misenum, where many Illyrians, particularly Dalmatae, Liburnians, and Pannonians, served.

Gradually, liburnae became a generic term for various types of Roman ships, including cargo vessels in late antiquity. Tacitus and Suetonius used it interchangeably with "battleship". Inscriptions listed it last among classes of battleships: hexeres, penteres, quadrieres, trieres, liburna.{{harvnb|Zaninović|1988|pp=43–67}}

The liburna lent its name to a natural cove on the west coast of Tuscany. Over time, the cove's name evolved into Livorna and later Livorno—the name of a significant port city that emerged at the site long after the disappearance of this type of ship.

• Ships of ancient Rome

{{reflist|2}}

• {{cite book|last=Casson|first=Lionel|year=1971|title=Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World|location=Princeton, NJ|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0783705646|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j9qCvwEACAAJ}}
• {{cite journal|last=Gabriel|first=Richard A.|title=The Roman Navy: Masters of the Mediterranean|journal=Military History|volume=29|number=9|year=2007|pages=36–43|url=https://www.historynet.com/the-roman-navy-masters-of-the-mediterranean.htm}}
• {{cite book|last1=Morrison|first1=J. S.|last2=Coates|first2=J. F.|year=1996|title=Greek and Roman Warships 399–30 B.C.|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press}}
• {{cite book|last=Starr|first=Chester G.|year=1941|title=The Roman Imperial Navy 31 B.C. – A.D. 324|location=Ithaca, NY|publisher=Cornell University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4awKxgEACAAJ}}
• {{cite journal|last=Zaninović|first=M.|title=Liburnia Militaris|journal=Opusc. Archeol.|volume=13|pages=43–67|year=1988|url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/5311}}

{{Illyrians}}

{{Ancient seafaring}}

Category:Ancient ships

Category:Galleys

Category:Illyrian warfare

Category:Liburnia

Category:Naval warfare of antiquity

Category:Navy of ancient Rome