37. Zosimus (1. v. [c. 20] p. 319) mentions these galleys by
the name of 'Liburnians', and observes that they were as
swift (without explaining the difference between them) as
the vessels with fifty oars; but that they were far inferior
in speed to the 'triremes', which had been long disused. Yet
he reasonably concludes, from the testimony of Polybius,
that galleys of a still larger size had been constructed in
the Punic wars. Since the establishment of the Roman empire
over the Mediterranean, the useless art of building large
ships of war had probably been neglected, and at length
forgotten.