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In the 6 th century B.C., Greek city-states manned their fleets of triremes with citizens of the lower classes. The trireme, a warship propelled by 170 citizen oarsmen rowing in unison, depended on ramming tactics to sink opposing vessels. In 480 B.C., the Athenians launched 200 triremes to oppose the imperial navy of King Xerxes of Persia. The Athenian fleet was the mainstay of the coalition navy that was to win the Battle of Salamis in 449 B.C. Although Athens was a commercial center dependent upon seaborne commerce, it was not a naval power when the democracy was established in 508−506 B.C. Between 505 and 480 B.C., the Athenians constructed the single greatest fleet in the Greek world; this building program propelled democratic institutions. The thetes (the lowest property class), who made up the majority of Athenians, became vital to the city’s defenses because they rowed the triremes. The democratic leader Themistocles used the windfalls from a silver strike at Laurium in 483 B.C. to construct triremes and to develop harbor facilities. Henceforth, the navy and democracy were to be the foundations of Athenian greatness.
