|
|
|
|
Naval Warfare
|
The Greeks had always been good seamen and some of the cities had their own navies with warships called triremes. The trireme had three banks of oars. It needed about 170 men to row it. It did not carry artillery, and there were 30 armed men on board at the most. In battle, the trireme would crash head on into the weakest part of the enemys ship - its side. The ships crew had to make sure that the side of their ship was not exposed to attack.
One of the great Athenian naval victories was at Salamis in 480 BC The Persians had invaded Greece with a large navy. The Athenians managed to lure the Persian ships into narrow water and destroyed them.
(A) PERSIAN SHIPS
The Persians had soldiers ready to board the Greek ships but they were unable to get close enough.
(B) TRIREME
The trireme was a war machine with no living space on board. It was usually beached at night.
|
|
Previous:
Back
|
Book:
The Greeks
|
Section:
Spotlight on Ancient Greeks
|
Chapter:
Naval Warfare
|
|
|
|
|
|
|