Athenian Trireme
THE TRIREME
By: Dimitri
Oared warships, lie at the heart of the Hellenic civilization 's history of which the Trireme is the most famous. In the seventh and sixth centuries BC they transported the colonists from their mother cities to all parts of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In 480 BC the Greeks won possibly their most significant battle against the much larger Persian fleet in the narrow waters of Salamis. Athens supremacy at sea was founded upon the crucial role that she played in the victory. The skilled use of the triremes enabled her to win, and maintain for some decades, supremacy over some of her former allies. But who were the ancient Greeks and what is the Hellenic civilization?
When talking about ancient Greece we think of a civilization of warrior peoples who excelled at military combat both on land and at sea. A people who revolutionized the way man thought about himself and about the world around him. Whether through science, art, philosophy or athletics the Greek frame of mind was geared in the pursuit of excellence. The Greek/Hellenic civilization has survived from roughly 1600 B.C. up to present day, where its history is still taught today in high schools and universities. Its legacy can be seen in many forms today as in athletics and the Olympic games and also politically, the Western world 's adoption of the democratic form of government. However Greece in ancient times was not the unified Greece of modern day although Greeks did share a common language and cultural practices. Greece back then was a collection of city states or polis with his or her own citizens, laws and constitutions. The community was sovereign. Nonetheless when a foreign ruler such as the Persians came to invade Greece, the Greek city states primarily Athens and Sparta united for a common cause to expel the invaders. The main defeat of the Persian forces came at the battle of Salamis where the Athenian navy heavily outnumbered,
By: Dimitri
Oared warships, lie at the heart of the Hellenic civilization 's history of which the Trireme is the most famous. In the seventh and sixth centuries BC they transported the colonists from their mother cities to all parts of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In 480 BC the Greeks won possibly their most significant battle against the much larger Persian fleet in the narrow waters of Salamis. Athens supremacy at sea was founded upon the crucial role that she played in the victory. The skilled use of the triremes enabled her to win, and maintain for some decades, supremacy over some of her former allies. But who were the ancient Greeks and what is the Hellenic civilization?
When talking about ancient Greece we think of a civilization of warrior peoples who excelled at military combat both on land and at sea. A people who revolutionized the way man thought about himself and about the world around him. Whether through science, art, philosophy or athletics the Greek frame of mind was geared in the pursuit of excellence. The Greek/Hellenic civilization has survived from roughly 1600 B.C. up to present day, where its history is still taught today in high schools and universities. Its legacy can be seen in many forms today as in athletics and the Olympic games and also politically, the Western world 's adoption of the democratic form of government. However Greece in ancient times was not the unified Greece of modern day although Greeks did share a common language and cultural practices. Greece back then was a collection of city states or polis with his or her own citizens, laws and constitutions. The community was sovereign. Nonetheless when a foreign ruler such as the Persians came to invade Greece, the Greek city states primarily Athens and Sparta united for a common cause to expel the invaders. The main defeat of the Persian forces came at the battle of Salamis where the Athenian navy heavily outnumbered,
Bibliography: 1. Rankov, Coates, and J.S. Morrison. The Athenian Trireme. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 2. Jordan Boromir. Athenian Navy in the Classical Period. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1975 3. Roberts,William 4. Love Jr., Robert. "Public Opinion and the Role of Sea Power in Athens, 404-322B.C." Eleventh Naval History Symposium. Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1993 5. Peck, Rosemary 8. O 'Neill, Joseph R. Triremes versus Pentaconters. Monmouth College. 2001. http://personal.monm.edu/oneill_joseph/Triremes%20Virgil 's%20Ships.htm FOOT NOTES 1. J.S. Morrison and others, The Athenian Trireme (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000) 1 2. D 3. Joseph R. O 'Neill, Triremes Versus Pentaconters (Monmouth College:2001) available on-line from http://personal.monm.edu/oneill_joseph/Triremes%20Virgil 's%20Ships.htm 4. William Roberts, Jack Sweetman, "Some Aspects of Fifth-Century Naval Tactics" Ninth Naval History Symposium (Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989.) 9 5. J.S 8. J.S. Morrison and others, The Athenian Trireme (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000) 62 9. William Roberts, Jack Sweetman, "Some Aspects of Fifth-Century Naval Tactics" Ninth Naval History Symposium (Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989.) 12