‘They are in the habit of sailing in big crafts’: what kinds of warships did the Sasanids use?

Abstract

The warships used by the Sasanids were troop ships used exclusively to carry soldiers to the theatre of operations, although it is possible they deployed merchant ships to carry cavalry. In the basin of the Indian Ocean, the Persians used the vessels of the local Asian type (so-called dhow), whereas in the Mediterranean they utilized ships of Byzantine design (sailing-rowing dromons and chelandions). The total size of the Sasanian fleet is unknown, but it can be assumed that naval squadrons numbered from a few to several dozen ships. The Byzantines enjoyed naval supremacy, which was one of the most important reasons for the Sasanid defeat in the Persian-Byzantine war of 602–628 and, therefore, for the future conquest of Iran and all the Near East by the Arabs.