A fully manned quinquereme may have carried about 400 to 450 people. The approximate breakdown is 300 oarsmen, 20 to 30 deck crew and 70 to 120 marines. The rowing reconstruction has three levels, with two rowers on each upper oar and one on the lowest. A fleet of 200 ships at the upper crew estimate would therefore require about 90,000 people. Controlled speed and manoeuvre depended on coordinating those rowing groups. Ancient labels remain imprecise, since Polybius sometimes uses quinquereme as a general label for a major warship.
Chapter · 43:22-49:56
Why trained oarsmen decided a galley's value
A quinquereme's crew and rowing arrangement show how maneuverability and training governed ancient naval combat alongside hull numbers.