The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship [Paperback]

J. S. Morrison (Author), J. F. Coates (Author), N. B. Rankov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0521564565 | ISBN-13: 978-0521564564 | Edition: 2

Shortly before the launch of the reconstructed Greek warship, Olympias, the first edition of The Athenian Trireme was published, providing historical and technical background to the reconstruction of the ship. Since then, five seasons of experimental trials have been conducted on the ship under oar and sail, and the lessons learned have been supplemented by new archaeological discoveries and by historical, scientific and physiological research over the past fifteen years. For this second edition, the text has been recast and a number of substantive changes have been made. In addition, there is an entirely new chapter that describes the trials of Olympias in detail, reports the performance figures, and outlines the changes desirable in any second reconstruction. There are nineteen new illustrations, including eleven photographs of Olympias at sea demonstrating features of the design that could be represented only by drawings in the first edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Clearly written and well-organized...Generously illustrated with maps, drawings, and photographs...[it] will fascinate anyone interested in the sea and ships, ancient history, or classical archaelogy." Historian

"The new edition of The Athenian Trireme continues the success of the first...the new chapter and the up-dating of some of the material and the bibliography make the new volume a worthwhile effort." Phoenix

Book Description

Since the appearance of the first edition of The Athenian Trireme in 1986, five seasons of experimental trials have been conducted in the reconstructed ship. There have been relevant new archaeological discoveries and much historical, scientific and physiological research. For this second edition, the text has been recast and a number of substantive changes have been made. In addition, there is an entirely new chapter which describes the trials in detail and proposes modifications to the ship's design. There are 19 new illustrations, including 11 photographs of Olympias at sea.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (July 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521564565
• ISBN-13: 978-0521564564
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The reconstruction and testing of an ancient trireme, October 11, 2000

By 

Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship (Paperback)

In its own era, the trireme was undoubtedly the pinnacle of technical complexity and achievement, at least the equivalent of a modern jet fighter or nuclear submarine. In the approximately 2500 years since that time, however, almost all detailed information as to how these warships were actually designed and used. "The Athenium Trireme" is a in-depth study of the reconstruction of such a vessel based upon what scraps of information survived (chiefly snippets of dialogue in plays, a few brief passages in ancient histories, and a handful of vase paintings and the like), illuminated by modern understanding of ship design and fluid mechanics. Based upon the research presented in this book, in the 1980's a full-sized trireme was built and, over several years, tested by the most fundamental and meaningful method -- rowing the vessel, constantly studying and modifying techniques and, where possible, physical design details. As a result of this project, our understanding of this crucial element of Greek history is far better than ever before and we can more intelligently read the ancient sources describing the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. Make no mistake about it -- this is a scholarly book, but it describes a rare meeting of academia and the practical world which leaves us richer for the experience.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well written and informative approach of one of the most elusive style of ships., September 30, 2005

By 

Michelle Nagy (Irvine, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship (Paperback)

I approached this book as an introduction to the subject of triremes. It was interesting to read how the authors came together to reconstruct one of the most investigated and yet elusive styles of ship building in ancient Greek history (since there is only artistic and literary evidence of a trireme, due to its construction, leaving no material remains). It gives a thorough insight into the study and developement of the trireme and the practical problems that arose in building it. It also gives information on the trial runs of the Olympias, their reconstruction of a trireme, and the amount of skill that was absolutley essential to rowing and maneuvering these ships in naval battles. I thought it was a good read and is a great place to start when entering the subject of triremes and ancient Greek naval warfare.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointment, August 25, 2002

By 

Kevin (LA, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship (Hardcover)

I purchased this book on the basis of the review listed here and was very disappointed when it arrived. The book is a cursory review of what we know about triremes from ancient sources and devotes a few pages to the most important battles. I learned FAR more from other books (some with contributions by the same author). The book has one short chapter on the reconstruction of the Olympias, the trireme currently operated by the Greek navy, and most of this was devoted to technical information of the most basic sort. I was hoping to read an account of how the project came together and what it was like for the people who participated. The title seemed to promise this. Nope. If the book were moderately priced I still couldn't recommend it. Hope the authors write a more personal account one day.