The Invention, and Evolution, of the Trireme

The location of the origin of the trireme has long been debated between academics who firmly place themselves in either a Greek, or Phoenician, origin group. This study aims to discuss the
historiography of the last century on this debate by separating the various pieces of literary, and archaeological, evidence, before discussing the merit that these pieces have to offer to the whole. Collectively, the majority of the archaeological evidence is far from conclusive for the purpose of this study, and does not grant any credence to either argument. This is due mostly to improper representation of the architectural aspects, through mostly abstract portrayals. The written primary sources (chiefly: Thucydides, Herodotus, and Clement of Alexandria) are of slightly more usefulness. However, they are often too vague in the few areas that they do not directly contradict each other. With the oldest unambiguous depictions of multiple banks of oars coming from…….

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