The guided missiles of their day, triremes were the key to Athens' greatness in the 5th century BC.

According to the Ancient Greek historian, Thucydides, it was the Corinthians who first developed the trireme, possibly as early as the 7th century BC. (1.12.4 - 13.2) They in turn based their design on ships first made by the Phoenicians, a people living on the coast of what is now Lebanon.

Triremes derived their name from having three banks of rowers, who sat almost on top of each other on each side of the ship. Build for speed and maneuverability rather than strength, they relied primarily on the muscle-power of their 170 rowers and used their front ram to devastating effect, especially in such battles as Salamis in 480 BC.

Above the rowers, perched on the open top of the trireme, would be up to 30 hoplite infantrymen. Once the trireme had engaged with the enemy ship, either by ramming it or running along side it, these soldiers would attempt to board the opposing vessel and fight in hand-to-hand combat. Dressed in heavy bronze armor this was obviously a very dangerous activity!

Maintaining triremes was expensive, and richer aristocrats would usually pay the costs for one or more ships as both a form of tax and a way of increasing their prestige in the political arena.