Rowing a boat alone is difficult enough for one person to manage; when there are dozens of oarsmen, dragging a warship through the water in unison, this problem is multiplied. In order to facilitate the synchronous pull of the oars, triremes carried on-board a piper - or 'auletes' - who would play to keep the rowers in time using the 'aulos' - a simple flute. The instrument was also known as the kalamos or libykos lotos - 'Libyan lotus' - a reference to the materials used to make it. One of the most commonly played instruments in Greece, it was used for performances of tragedy, at social occasions and at private drinking parties, as well as for military purposes.
