Trier - what is this?

From the ancient Greek words "tria", which means "three", and "hereso" - "row" the name of the "trier" appeared. This is a special type of combat ship, which played an important role in the formation not only of shipbuilding in the Mediterranean, but also of the borders of many states.

What the ship looked like

Few of today's children guess what the Ancient Greek trier represented. This is rarely the case in history, as attention is focused on the course and outcome of the battle, and not on the gun. However, it was thanks to this vessel that the Greeks won many victories for us from neighboring countries. So, the trier is a ship up to 40 meters in length and up to 6 in width. On the nose was installed a pointed bar - ram, which served as a combat weapon in the offensive. Often, he was wearing a metal tip, which was forged in the shape of a bird or an animal. 200 crew members, 62 of which are trawlers (rowers of the upper row), 54 zigits and 56 thalamites (rowers of the middle and lower rows, respectively) - it was thanks to these people that the trier was sailing. This in ancient Greece was the main power of the fleet, which commanded the triarch (in the modern version - the captain). Also on board were soldiers and sailors.

Ship Analogs

The Romans were also proud of the identical ship, and the name of it differed little from the Hellenic - "Trireme". But the Roman ship was more equipped and, as it seemed to many, more refined. He could boast of the presence of a sailboat and a boarding crow. In addition, a tower was erected on the deck, where the arrows were located, and a structure was constructed for throwing weights. In comparison with such a "giant" it seemed that the trier is simply a huge and useless dish, if not for one thing. The Greek ship was not equal in speed. The reason is obvious - the absence of excessive military equipment and a relatively small crew made it maneuverable and speedy.

For work, oarsmen!

According to some sources, Hellenic trirees sometimes reached a speed of 12 knots, and often their acceleration to the maximum rate took less than a minute. Such results were possible due to the special technique of rowing and the arrangement of oars. Ports that were made for the oars in the bottom row, very close to the water. With a small storm, they could be completely flooded. Therefore, the main task of oarsmen-thalamites, in addition to the main work, was to "seal" the openings in time with a leather band-aid. Portals for the oars in the two upper rows were cut above the waterline, so the oarsmen performed their duties without fear of water. Each row had its height, but all 170 oars of the ship were equal - 4.5 meters each. They entered the water at different angles, providing the maximum speed. Before going to sea, the rhythm was set by the flutist.

Combat qualities

In the ancient period of the Mediterranean countries did not have passenger liners, because like all other units of the fleet, the trier is a warship. His main weapon was a sharply sharpened spire-ram. It was used to strike enemy ships on the oars or on the side. Thanks to the ram, the Greeks often attacked first, and after the first strike, in order not to get stuck in the wreckage of the enemy vessel, the next maneuver was used. It was called "floating" or "sliding impact". Swamping close to the side of the enemy, all the oarsmen of the trirea sucked in the oars. The spire caused a tangible loss to the oars of the enemy crew, thereby immobilizing the entire ship. After that, you could already attack to the fullest, without fear of maneuverability of the enemy.

Features of the triere

Above we have already said that the trirea is a non-parasailing vessel, the movement of which is provided by a huge number of oarsmen. But for the sake of saving the potential and strength of the crew, the ship was equipped with removable mast structures. In the absence of combat, when it was possible to catch a tailwind, one or two masts were mounted on the deck. The main one was in the center of the ship, it was always exposed straight and fixed with tension cables. If the second was mounted, its place was in the bow of the ship. Such a mast was installed at an incline, supporting it on the acrostole.

Additional vessel function

In 90 per cent of cases, the triremes participated in sea battles, but sometimes acted as passenger and cargo liners. Before or after the land battle, many warriors needed maritime transportation, and long, capacious triremes always came to the rescue. True, they were slightly modernized, increasing the height of the bulwark and strengthening the deck. As a load, horses were most often driven. For them, in addition to the strengthening of the deck, wide gangways were mounted.

The ancient Greeks in the meaning of the word "trirea" did not make a deep sense, they just called this ship, based on its structure and qualities. By V century BC in the fleet were more than 400 such ships, which were built at the expense of wealthy Athenians. They also became triarchs, or captains, carefully selecting people for their team, including rowers. After the war, the triremes were driven to Piraeus, where they waited for their next exit into the great waters, and the crew dissolved.