Bireme

For other uses, see Bireme (disambiguation).

A bireme (/ˈbaɪriːm/, BY-reem) is an ancient oared warship (galley) with two superimposed rows of oars on each side. Biremes were long vessels built for military purposes and could achieve relatively high speed. They were invented well before the 6th century BC and were used by the Phoenicians, Assyrians, and Greeks.

Greek bireme circa 500 BC, image from a Greek vase in the British Museum, which was found at Vulci in Etruria.
Phoenician warship[1] with two rows of oars, relief from Nineveh, ca. 700 BC
  1. ^ Casson, Lionel (1995): "Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World", Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 978-0-8018-5130-8, fig. 76