Description
Of all the warships found in the ancient world, it is the trireme, or trieres, that remains the most famous and recognisable. Nearly all Hollywood 'sword and sandal' movies will include a trireme somewhere. The vessel was entirely designed for war. Its name came from the three rows of oars carried on each side, stacked above each other in staggered columns to give the rowers some room to work. The top row of oars pivoted on a rowlock, or oarlock, mounted on an outrigger projecting from the hull. This allowed the top oars to pitch down at a sharper angle to reach the sea without getting tangled in the lower ones. The trireme was a greyhound of a ship, capable of high-speed dashes with a well-trained crew and, contrary to popular belief, not all rowers were slaves. Aboard Greek vessels they were citizens, and were given respect, not the lash. They were also largely fair-weather ships, and unsuited to rough seas such as the Atlantic; the lowest level of oars were, at most, less than half a metre above the waterline. That, however, did not stop the trireme being a superb weapon against other ships: a high-speed ramming attack could rip a hole in the side of almost any target. The type was also large enough to be used in other ways, which lead to it carrying archers and assorted light artillery pieces.
Conditioned from the age of seven for a life on campaign, and dedicated to full-time military training, the Spartans were exceptionally well drilled and masters of their weaponry and equipment. Anyone who lost their shield in battle was dishonoured: while cuirass and helmet were for protecting the individual, the shield was seen as protection for the entire phalanx. As such, the Spartans were a highly-disciplined and co-ordinated force, largely superior to any other on the battlefield. It was the Spartans who led the defence of the Peloponnese against the Persians in 480BC and, after two full days of battle, fought the famous last stand at Thermopylae. 300 Spartans and their Greek allies blocked the tiny pass between the cliffs and the sea, forcing the Persians to attack their deadly phalanx head on. When a Greek traitor eventually caused the Spartans to be outflanked, they fought to the very last man. The time spent defeating the Spartans was just enough for the remaining Greek allies to prepare a fleet to defeat the Persian navy decisively near the island of Salamis, ending the war.
