Database: Ancient warships

A trireme was a warship maneuvered by 170 rowers manning three rows of oars. Its military purpose was to strike with metal rams or to allow for boarding of the enemy ships. The crews were usually enlisted citizens, paid one drachma a day, and this salary was covered by the Athenian state. Due to their sought-after special skills, the rowers of the top bench received additional bonuses from the wealthy fundraising citizens who competed in order to have the best possible crews. From the 5th to the 4th century BCE. the heavy losses of the Peloponnesian War and the exhaustion of funds made it difficult to find new rowers and crew members. As a result, not all crew members were citizens. The trireme, when fitted out as a pure warship, could carry only about thirty crewmen and combatant besides the rowers. These included marines (epibates), archers, a captain, a helmsman, a boatswain, a piper, and assorted crewmen in charge of the gear, sails, and repairs.
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