Trireme

An ancient warship propelled by three tiers of oars on each side. Greek and Phoenician forces used triremes for speed, maneuverability, and ramming in naval combat.

Agalma: A projecting wooden structure that supported an upper tier of oars on some ancient galleys. This type of outrigger helped position the trireme’s upper oars beyond the hull.
Battle of Salamis: A naval battle in 480 BCE in which a Greek coalition defeated the Persian fleet near Salamis. Greek triremes used the confined waters to overcome a larger Persian force.
Bireme: An ancient galley with two banks of oars on each side. The bireme belongs to the earlier and broader family of multi-banked war galleys.
Themistocles: An Athenian statesman who promoted naval expansion before the Persian invasion of Greece. His policy helped build the fleet that fought at Salamis.
Oar: A long pole with a broad blade, used to propel or steer a boat by rowing. Trireme speed depended on coordinated crews pulling banks of oars.
Battle of Lade: A naval battle in 494 BCE in which the Persian fleet defeated the Ionian Greek fleet near Lade. The battle illustrates the dependence of trireme fleets on coordination and loyalty among their crews.
Pentekonter: An ancient Greek galley propelled by fifty oars, commonly arranged in a single bank. It provides a useful point of comparison for the trireme’s more complex rowing arrangement.
Athenian democracy: The system of citizen government developed in ancient Athens. Large crews of citizens and residents tied naval service to the city’s political life.
Trireme ram: A reinforced projection at a warship’s bow designed to damage an enemy vessel on impact. The trireme’s principal offensive weapon turned speed into collision force.
Peloponnesian War: A conflict between Athens and Sparta and their allies from 431 to 404 BCE. Athens relied on trireme fleets to sustain its empire and wage war across the Aegean.

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