Shallow Keel

Barbarian tribes used superior knowledge of their homelands to defeat invading Roman armies on land and at sea. Caesar described how the Veneti had the largest fleet of the Gallic tribes, and were masters of the western seas. He also stated that their ships were “made with flatter bottoms, to help them ride shallow waters caused by shoals or ebb tides”. These shallow keels were perfect for navigating rocky coastlines, an attribute that Roman ships lacked.