The History and Development of Naval Battering Rams | Ancient Warfare Special Guest Stephen DeCasien

The Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages

In this episode PhD student takes us into a fascinating and obscure topic relating to ancient history, maritime history and military history, and that is the development and use of the battery ram in ancient naval warfare with a focus on the Greeks and Romans. From discussing their origin and apparent unsuccessful proto rams we watch as craftsmen and experts perfect their work over time through trial and error to create a piece that would come to play a crucial war in warfare on the ancient seas.

He explores what sources we have from ancient historians and what do they have to say. He then approaches the history of naval rams in general categorizing them by period and giving an awesome overview on the subject. We also explore tactics and how they were used along with what we know about how they were crafted, how they were put on the ship and lastly we approach the end of the naval ram in Mediterranean and Aegean warfare as it becomes more of a sign of power and symbolism rather than a tool of war.

Before leaving off he talks about an upcoming project where he and his colleagues will be setting out to build a naval ram to better understand the process and how the ancients built them.

Support our awesome guest below! Twitter: @SDeCasien

Website: stephendecasien.com

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