How was a Greek merchant ship different from a military one?

| February 4, 2021 | education

The goal of a merchant ship in antiquity was to bring as much cargo as possible as cheaply as possible. For this he needs spacious holds, wide hatches for loading goods, a lot of sails and very few sailors.

The goal of a warship is to catch up with the enemy, destroy him, disembark the boarding team and capture the enemy ship. For this he needs a ram in the bow, a large number of oars, rowers and warriors.

All these requirements determined the appearance of the ships. The merchant ship was wide and short, and carried masts and sails. Moved slowly with a favorable wind.

The warship had a predatory silhouette, it was narrow and long. It moved mainly due to the oars, of which there were 2-5 rows. A long copper ram was always attached to the bow.

The ships were very different in appearance and at a glance it was immediately clear who was visible on the horizon – a warrior or a merchant.



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