Barque

“Xenias and Pasion have deserted us. But let them, nevertheless, know full well that they have not escaped from me — either by stealth, for I know in what direction they have gone, or by speed, for I have men-of-war with which I can overtake their craft.”

—Xenophon, Anabasis (Bk I)

In game

Barque — Vital statistics
Barque	Medium ship. Ideal for escort duty and/or raiding. Strong versus light missile weapons, light ships Weak versus siege weapons, fireships, buildings
Prereq:	Build time	HP	LOS	Attack	Attack speed	Movement speed	Upgrades to
	13s (195t)	190	10	21 x 3	1.6s (25t)	29	Triakonter
Cost			Created from	Armour	Weapon range	Specialty
Base	Ramp	Pop
: 130; : 130	: 1	1		1	0-10	Moderate attack bonus versus buildings. Poor turn speed.

Overall strategy

The Barque is a long, slender galley that functions as the medium warship of several factions - namely, the Rasenna, the Hittites, the Babylonians, the Arabs, and Assur. This ship, unlike the sturdier but slower Roundship, is meant to function as the "strike" force of most Semitic navies, used primarily to defend against War Boats and Fire Rafts.

Not all factions obtain access to the Barque, much less the Roundship.

• Mediterranean factions instead receive either the Kebenit, or the Longship (their version of the Barque is the Triakonter, which does not appear until the Heroic Age)
• Asian factions instead the Wing Barque and the Swooper.

Trivia

In Age of Empires, this unit instead used the icon of the vanilla Bark:

Naval battles involving factions with noa "light ships" will often use these ships instead.