On the deck of a typical trireme in the Peloponnesian War there were 4 or 5 archers and 10 or so marines.Hanson (2006), p. 242 These few troops were peripherally effective in an offensive sense, but critical in providing defense for the oarsmen. Should the crew of another trireme board, the marines were all that stood between the enemy troops and the slaughter of the men below. It has also been recorded that if a battle were to take place in the calmer water of a harbor, oarsmen would join the offensive and throw stones (from a stockpile aboard) to aid the marines in harassing/attacking other ships.
On the deck of a typical trireme in the Peloponnesian War there were 4 or 5 archers and 10 or so marines.Hanson (2006) p. 242 These few t,roops were peripherally effective in an offensive sense but critical in providing defense for the oarsmen. Should the c,rew of another trireme board, the marines were all that stood between the enemy troops and the slaughter of the men below. It has also been recorded that if a battle were to take place in the calmer water of a harbor, oarsmen would join the offensive and throw stones (from a stockpile aboard) to aid the marines in harassing/attacking other ships.