8th century BCE-1st century CE
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Naval Ram
A reinforced, bronze-sheathed prow fitted to ancient galleys, used to punch through an enemy hull below the waterline. Fast, shallow-draft pirate vessels of the ancient Mediterranean, including Illyrian and Cilician raiding fleets, relied on ramming tactics against slower merchant ships. It was the primary ship-to-ship weapon of naval combat before the widespread adoption of shipboard…