Ancient Greek ships were powered by rows of rowers arranged in multiple layers. The trireme had three layers of rowers while the bireme had two layers. They were constructed from wood imported from Thrace or Macedonia and measured about 120 feet long. Triremes could travel at 10 mph powered by 170 rowers pulling long oars. In the Battle of Salamis, smaller more maneuverable Greek ships defeated larger Persian vessels. In the late 20th century, historians reconstructed an ancient Greek trireme to better understand these warships.