The term GALLEY ANCIENT is composed of three crossword solutions: TRIREME (7 letters), ERRATA (6 letters), and CARET (5 letters). A TRIREME was an ancient Greek or Roman warship with three banks of oars, while ERRATA are errors or mistakes in a printed work. A caret is a proofreading symbol used to indicate that something should be inserted at that point in the text. In summary, GALLEY ANCIENT refers to the ancient ships, mistakes, and proofreading symbols associated with them.