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Greek Trireme
A fast three-tiered oared warship of ancient Greek city-states, with about 170 rowers per side and a ram, becoming the Mediterranean's main warship i…
Timeline
- c. -500–-480Piraeus, Athens · AtticaCity-states such as Athens built shipyards at Piraeus and elsewhere, mass-producing triremes and training rowers to form a powerful naval force.
- -480Strait of Salamis · AtticaThe Greek allied fleet of about 380 triremes ambushed the Persian fleet in the narrow strait, destroying enemy ships with rams and boarding actions, turning the tide of the Greco-Persian Wars.
- -431–-404Aegean Sea · Aegean SeaAthens and Sparta and their allies competed for control of the Aegean with trireme fleets for a long period; fleet size and rower training became key indicators of a city-state's power.
Sources
- Histories — Herodotus https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126
- The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship — J. S. Morrison, J. F. Coates, B. B. Rankov (2000)