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Phoenician Galley

Type Object Region Eastern Mediterranean Time c. -1000–-500

Around 1000 BCE, Phoenician city-states developed oared bireme and polyreme galleys for both ocean trade and naval warfare, the core ship type of the…

Timeline

  1. c. -1000–-850Tyre and Sidon · LevantCity-states such as Tyre and Sidon built galleys (pentekonters) typically fitted with fifty oars, used for coastal escort and inter-island trade; shipyards and timber supply systems gradually specialized, laying the foundation of the eastern Mediterranean commercial network.
  2. c. -800–-650Eastern Mediterranean sea lanes · Eastern MediterraneanThe two-tier rowing arrangement (bireme) improved speed and maneuverability; Phoenician galleys supported colonization and trading posts along Cyprus, North Africa, and the Iberian coast, and interacted at sea with land empires such as Assyria and Egypt.
  3. c. -650–-500Carthage · CarthageAs the Levantine mother cities declined, Carthage inherited and improved Phoenician galley design, developing early trireme warships, controlling western Mediterranean trade routes, and forming a maritime rivalry with the Greek city-states.

Sources