Key Point: The main difference between a trireme and a dromon was in their: origin, size, crew size, propulsion, tactics, and speed.
In this article on the Trireme vs Dromon, you will discover the 7 main differences between the two warships. You will see how these two ships that empires relied upon helped shape the course of history. So, now before we begin let’s examine the 7 main differences between a dromon and a trireme right away.
I will present them to you in a table format so you can skim that before going into a little more detail.
| Differences in | Trireme | Dromon |
| Origin | Ancient Greek warship used from the 4th century BCE | Byzantine warship developed in the 7th century |
| Size | Smaller, around 24 meters in length | Generally larger, around 30 meters in length |
| Crew Size | Smaller crew, around 170 | Larger crew, up to 250 sailors and soldiers |
| Propulsion | Powered solely by oars | Powered by both sails and oars |
| Armament | Primarily armed with a bronze ram on the prow for ramming enemy ships | Equipped with a range of weapons, including siege engines |
| Tactics | Designed for just naval warfare | Designed for both naval warfare and siege warfare |
| Speed | Generally faster due to its sleek design and exclusive use of oars for propulsion | Generally slower than the Trireme due to its larger size and dual propulsion system |
That is the short summary of the entire article presented in a table format. Now, let’s take a look at each point in a little more detail. Starting with the difference in origin.
Trireme Vs Dromon – The Difference In Origin
The origin story of the trireme goes back at least 1000 years before the Dromon. The fact is the trireme came about in the world of the Ancient Greeks.
They adopted the Phoenician bireme and made it their own. Eventually adding an extra row of oars with the intent of improving speed. Which it did. And the trireme was born.
The trireme design was quickly adopted by the Carthaginians and also the Romans. And the dromon? Well …
The dromon came about after the collapse of the western Roman Empire. The Byzantines needed a fast ship to fend off threats from the Arabs and the Slavic peoples coming into the Balkans. The dromon fulfilled that purpose. It was fast and also strong enough to carry various siege engines on board for long-range attacks.
That was the origin story, now let’s move on to the difference in size.
Trireme Vs Dromon – The Size Difference
When compared to the trireme the dromon was bigger. With its roughly 30 meters of length, it was a level above the triremes average of 24-meter length. The trireme had a relatively narrow beam and a low profile, which made it fast and agile in the water.
While the dromon had a broader beam and a higher profile than the Trireme. That is because the dromon served a slightly expanded purpose. Alongside naval combat, the Byzantines also used it as a transport ship and often placed ballista or siphons that pumped out Greek fire on their decks.
Hence why it had to be bigger. With the increase in size, there was also a difference in crew size. Let’s talk about that for a moment.
The Difference In Crew Size
As you can imagine, since the dromon was a bigger ship it tended to have a bigger crew. So while the size of a dromon varied throughout the years it generally held 200 to 250 people on board. Most of them were oarsmen. While the trireme being slightly smaller held close to 170 people on board.
Propulsion And Speed
There is a slight difference in how the two ships were powered.
The Trireme was propelled by three banks of oars on each side of the ship. With each oar being manned by a single rower. This gave the trireme a significant advantage in terms of speed and agility.
The coordinated effort of the rowers, along with the ship’s lightweight design, allowed it to move quickly through the water. That is why it could reach speeds of up to 9 knots. The Dromon meanwhile was a sailing ship that relied both on wind power and oarsmen. And in an ideal scenario, its estimated could reach speeds of up to 8 knots.
The Dromon had one or two masts, which were used to hoist sails made of linen or wool. The sails allowed the ship to move through the water without the need for rowers, but when the win was unfavorable then it could apply rowers for propulsion.
As an added benefit the rowers helped the ship be more maneuverable during battle.
All in all the dromon seems to me to have been a better ship. Its larger size and heavier build allowed it to carry more cargo, armaments, and crew. And, the use of sails allowed the dromon to maintain its speed over longer distances without the physical exertion of its rowers.
Armament And Tactics
So, when it comes to armaments. There is quite a massive difference between the two. The principal weapon of a trireme was its “battering ram”.
They utilized the trireme’s impressive speed to ramm opposing ships and create a huge hole. This had the effect of rendering the opposing ship useless and often sinking it.
The other way it was used was simply to have archers and other missile troops onboard that rained arrows and other projectiles at the other ship. Now, the dromon was a bit different. It was a lot bigger. And while it could ramm other ships it did rely more on ranged attacks from the siege weapons on board and from the missile troops it could carry.
To put it simply: The trireme used its speed and agility to ram an opposing ship, while the dromon had a more versatile range of weapons. This allowed it to attack enemy ships from a distance with its archers and Greek fire, or move in for a close-range attack with its battering ram.
Thats it. The 7 differences between a dormon and trireme warships.
My thoughts: The dormon was a far superior ship and a lot more useful one. It could carry more it was more fortified and could also attack at a range. While the trireme was almost a one-trick pony. It could just ram other ships.
If you want to see another article where I compare warships from antiquity I suggest taking a look at how the trireme compares to the quadrireme, right here.
In Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. And that you learned a thing or two. If you wish to continue learning about naval weapons from the past, I suggest taking a look at my article here, where I compare the trireme to the longship.
Take care!