TRIREME
Dana Co
What It Is
The Greeks used a plethora of war tactics to defeat other countries that wished to overthrow the mighty Greeks. The country of Greece owed its success in defeating its contenders to the triremes, for the Athenian navy, of course. To begin with, a trireme was an ancient warship that was used in a multitude of occasions by the Greeks. The word trireme derived from the Latin word, triremis, which translates to, “with three banks of oars.” The ancient Greek trireme had three oars on each side, evidently. Next, the construction of the grand ships had several fundamental factors in the creation of it. That includes, the proper amount of oarsmen accommodations or the satisfying of one’s needs (seats on the ship for the oarsmen), propulsion (propelling), weight, gravity, and stability. These potent ancient war ships were introduced by the Corinthians from the Greek polis, Corinth or Korinth, in the late 800 B.C. Soon, the trireme became the most dominant warship along the Mediterranean Sea from 700 B.C -400 B.C.
Where and When It Was Used
As stated previously, the ancient Greeks used the war ships, also referred to as triremes, in various wars and conflicts. Battles that involved the use of these powerful ships were with the Persians. Athens and Sparta joined forces, the Spartan army and the Athenian navy, to defeat a series of wars against the Persians, who wanted to extend its empire to Greece. The first quarrel the Athenian navy faced against the Persian navy in 480 BC, was the Battle of Artemisium, located on Artemisium, Euboea. The series of naval combat coursed through three days during the same time as the land brawl at Thermopylae. The Greek city-states or allies that fought the Persian Empire of Xerxes I were Sparta, Athens, and Corinth. The battle was in favor of the Persians. To rebound the Greek allies, the navy, which consisted of 271 triremes, tallied a decisive victory, capturing or sinking at least 300 Persian ships, in the Battle of Salamis. The final clash between Greece and Persia was the Battle of Mycale; also it was the mark of the end of the Persian War, as well as Greece’s victory. Lastly, for the period of the Peloponnesian War, Athens naval fights were vital to their power against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Sparta, along side other city states were jealous of Athens wealth, so the Peloponnesian League was created. Athens was defeated. In conclusion, triremes impacted a major part of Athens almighty navy.
Battle of Salamis
The battle occurred in 480 BC, and the Athenians triremes blocked the Persians entrance of Thermopylae.
Peloponnesian War
The war was between the Athenian navy and the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta. The Peloponnesian League was comprised of the following city states: Sparta(leader), Corinth, Elis, Tegea, and soon all Peloponnesian states, except Argos and Archaea.
Ramming
The triremes were rowed in a circular motion, then rammed the front of the war ship into the Persians ship vessel.