From the trireme of the Classical period with its three rows of oars followed the quadrireme and the quinquereme, then the super-galleys of six and more. The rivalries between the Hellenistic kingdoms, fuelled by the Alexandrian Empire, quickly led to an arms race, which resulted in the building of more and more large war galleys. Historical events helped to foster these developments and played a dynamic role in their evolution. Thus, the technical characteristics of the vessels were greatly improved in both terms of tonnage and sailing performance. It saw tremendous expansion in the field of shipbuilding, since the technical progress made over the previous centuries made it possible to build larger ships and more advanced hull shapes. In ancient naval architecture, the Hellenistic period is exceptional.

Nevertheless, the Hellenistic architectural system endured in the Eastern Mediterranean until at least the Early Byzantine period, as evidenced by the wreck of Yassiada 1. However, during the Roman Empire, this approachÂ âÂ which presents a structural weakness at the level of the keelÂ âÂ was replaced by a new architectural type, apparently more robust, characterized by a flat bottom section, overlapping frames, and a keelson/ mast step timber fitted on lateral sister- keelson. This resulted, throughout the Mediterranean, in a convergence of Greek and Phoenico- Punic architectural systems.

The origin of this architectural system lies in the Greco- Roman evolutionÂ âÂ between the second half of the sixth and the end of the fourth century BCÂ âÂ of sewn boats in the Greek tradition (influenced by the Phoenicians), which introduced the method of assembly by mortise and tenon. Of course, many other architectural approaches continued to be used in shipbuilding, which were testament to regional and local traditions. It allows the building of large ships with an elaborate hull shape, capable of good nautical performance, and this was clearly one of the factors behind the significant maritime expansion at the end of the first millennium BC. This system is characterised by a tripartite structure ( keel, planking, framing). During the Hellenistic period and the Roman Republic, there was a dominant architectural design in Mediterranean naval architecture, which was eventually adopted by Greek and Roman shipyards as well as Punic.

Ship hull construction terms