Description excerpted from the Introduction to the rules:
In recent years, there has been much work performed in the field of naval archeology. The launching of the reconstructed trireme Olympias has also provided a great deal of information on the performance of ancient oared warships. These rules are intended to provide a detailed, yet playable, re-enactment of ancient naval warfare based on the latest data.
They are primarily intended for 1/1200 scale ship models, from small engagements to large ship actions.
The time period covered by the rules represents a singularly large sweep of history from approximately 3000 BC to 600 AD. In terms of ship types, the rules cater for the earliest paddled ships of the Mediterranean through to the small galleys of the Later Roman Empire. It is the period of the development, supremacy, and decline of the ram equipped galley.
NAUMACHIAE (pl.) is the Latin name used by the Romans for the 'sea battles' that various emperors staged at their games. The arena would be flooded and several galleys brought in to fight each other - for the amusement of the crowd.