''Chelandion'' ( el, χελάνδιον) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

galley warship, a variant of the '' dromōn'' that also functioned as a cargo transport.

History

The term ''chelandion'' is derived from the Greek word ''kelēs'', "

courser The coursers are a group of birds which together with the pratincoles make up the family Glareolidae. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Their most unusual feature for birds classed as waders is that ...

", and first appeared during the early 8th century. In the medieval Latin used in Western Europe, it was rendered ''chelandium'' or ''scelandrium'' (and thence the 12th-century ''sandanum'' transport), while the

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...

rendered the name as ''shalandī'' (plural ''shalandiyyāt'') and used it for a probably similar type of vessels in their own navies. In common with the general characteristics of the ''dromōn'' type, the ''chelandion'' was a

bireme A bireme (, ) is an ancient oared warship (galley) with two superimposed rows of oars on each side. Biremes were long vessels built for military purposes and could achieve relatively high speed. They were invented well before the 6th century BC an ...

galley, i.e. with two rows of

oars An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connec ...

, which provided its main means of propulsion, although it also featured one or two

lateen A lateen (from French ''latine'', meaning "Latin") or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction. The settee can be considered to be an associated type of the same ...

sail A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails ma ...

s, and was steered by two quarter rudders at the stern. It could also be equipped with siphons for projecting the feared

Greek fire Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning . Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact w ...

, the

Byzantine navy The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state tha ...

's secret incendiary weapon. The term ''chelandion'' is usually used interchangeably with ''dromōn'' in medieval literary sources, leading to much confusion as to the exact nature of the ship and its differences with the ''dromōn'' proper. It appears, however, that the type originated as a horse-transport (''hippagōgon''). This in turn implies some differences in construction from the standard ''dromōn'': at the very least, the presence of a special compartment running the length of the vessel amidships to accommodate a row of horses would increase its beam and

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Ferma ...

depth. In the 10th century, ''chelandia'' formed the bulk of the

, serving in two types: the ''chelandion ousiakon'' () or simply ''ousiakon'' or ''ousiakos'', so named because it was manned by an ''ousia'' of 108 men, and the ''chelandion pamphylon'' (Greek: χελάνδιον πάμφυλον), or simply ''pamphylon'' or ''pamphylos'', crewed with up to 120–160 men, its name either implying an origin in the region of Pamphylia as a transport ship or its crewing with "picked crews" (from , "all tribes")..

References

Sources

* {{refend Byzantine ships Galleys