Trade and Ships

The Ancient Greks traded with other countries such as Egypt, Syria and Sicily. The Greeks found it easier to travel by sea than over land because of the mountains and poor roads. The Greeks could find where they were going by the stars. They built merchant ships to carry their goods. The ships carried slaves, wood, corn, iron and copper.

The merchant ships were made of wood and had a large hold to store the cargo. They had a sail and oars. They were slow and heavy but there were other Greek ships which were lighter. These wer warships called triremes. In peacetime they could protect the merchant ships from pirates. They had a ram to hit other ships. They had three rows ofr oarsmen and could carry 200 men.