Joseph T. Baruffi
PhD Dissertation - University of Chicago ,ABSTRACT,The general importance of naval warfare in the Bronze Age has never been considered In detail. Such importance cannot be overstressed and these developments should be seen as part of a technological "koine" between the Near Eastern and Mediterranean culture areas, as there is evidence for the cross-pollination of technical ideas between the Aegean and the Levant. The use of mercenary warriors in this period became increasingly important, both as highly skilled "cannon fodder" and as conduits of information regarding technological advances which could provide tactical superiority. The vessels of the "Sea Peoples" are the result of such interareal transference, incorporating structural elements found both in Aegean warships of the period and the Levantine mns. Similarities in troop armament of the period also demonstrate the connections between the Aegean and the Levant.,Prior to the development of the ram, ships originally would have done double duty as merchantmen and as troop transports or "mobile firing platforms." No professional, purely military navy can be demonstrated anywhere in the region: army troops in Egypt were assigned "tours of duty" fighting as marines with the fleet. but could then revert to ground-based units, while tablets found at both Pylos and Ugarit show that rowers were conscripted from local population groups. However, from the ship models and krater depictions found at Kynos in Greece, we see that the differentiation of vessel types had already begun and that warfare on the sea was well-known by this period. The vessels themselves should now be seen as the "missing links" between the vessels of the Late Bronze Age and both the later Geometric warships and Phoenician merchant "hippos."
Naval warfare operations in the Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean