Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Liburna

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

LIBUR'NA or LIBUR'NICA, sc. Navis (λιβυρνίς). A vessel of war, constructed after a model invented by the Illyrian pirates, and introduced into the Roman navy after the battle of Actium. It was built sharp fore and aft, was worked with one or more banks of oars, according to the size, as well as sails, had the mast amid ship, and the levantine sail instead of the common square one. (Veg. Mil. v. 7. Lucan. iii. 691. Sil. Ital. xiii. 240. Scheffer, Mil. Nav. pp. 92. 191.) The smaller ones were used as tenders, but the larger were brought into line for action. Though the real build of these vessels is not positively authenticated, the annexed figure (Liburna/1.1), which appears upon medals, both of Claudius and Domitian, has sufficient affinity to the above description, collected from incidental passages, to be offered as a probable representation of one of the smaller class.

• 
  Liburna/1.1