Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy

by John R. Hale

Overview

The epic true story of Themistocles and the Battle of Salamis, and a rousing history of the world's first dominant navy and the towering empire it built

The Athenian Navy was one of the finest fighting forces in the history of the world. It engineered a civilization, empowered the world's first democracy, and led a band of ordinary citizens on a voyage of discovery that altered the course of history. With Lords of the Sea, renowned archaeologist John R. Hale presents, for the first time, the definitive history of the epic battles, the fearsome ships, and the men-from extraordinary leaders to seductive rogues-that established Athens's supremacy. With a scholar's insight and a storyteller's flair, Hale takes us on an unforgettable voyage with these heroes, their turbulent careers, and far-flung expeditions, bringing back to light a forgotten maritime empire and its majestic legacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101050859
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/14/2009
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	1,039,087
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John R. Hale studied at Yale and Cambridge before embarking on an archaeological career that includes extensive underwater searches for ancient warships. He has written for Antiquity, Journal of Roman Archaeology, and Scientific American and has been profiled by NPR and The New York Times. He has also been featured in documentaries broadcast by The Discovery Channel and The History Channel. He is currently the director of liberal studies at the University of Louisville.

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Diagrams xv

Preface xvii

Introduction xxiii

Part 1 Freedom

1 One Man, One Vision [483 B.C.] 3

2 Building the Fleet [483–481 B.C.] 15

3 The Wooden Wall [481–480 B.C.] 29

4 Holding the Pass [Summer, 480 B.C.] 43

5 Salamis [End of Summer, 480 B.C.] 55

Part 2 Democracy

6 A League of Their Own [479–463 B.C.] 77

7 Boundless Ambition [462–446 B.C.] 95

8 Mariners of the Golden Age [Mid-fifth Century B.C.] 110

Part 3 Empire

9 The Imperial Navy [446–433 B.C.] 125

10 War and Pestilence [433–430 B.C.] 138

11 Fortune Favors the Brave [430–428 B.C.] 154

12 Masks of Comedy, Masks of Command [428–421 B.C.] 171

13 The Sicilian Expedition [415–413 B.C.] 185

Part 4 Catastrophe

14 The Rogue's Return [412–407 B.C.] 205

15 Of Heroes and Hemlock [407–406 B.C.] 221

16 Rowing to Hades [405–399 B.C.] 233

Part 5 Rebirth

17 Passing the Torch [397–371 B.C.] 249

18 Triremes of Atlantis [370–354 B.C.] 269

19 The Voice of the Navy [354–339 B.C.] 280

20 In the Shadow of Macedon [339–324 B.C.] 294

21 The Last Battle [324–322 B.C.] 311

Chronology 319

Glossary 333

Note on Sources 341

Acknowledgments 375

Index 579

What People are Saying About This

Adam Nicolson

"The dazzling moment of Golden Age Athens was built on democracy, silver, reason and power. It was arguably the most creative moment in history, when western architecture, philosophy, drama and politics were all given their fundamental form. Behind it all was the Athenian navy, its life and fortunes described here with exemplary clarity and a vivid engagement with the visceral realities of battle and the sea. In a story shot through with echoes of modern democratic ideals faced with the hazards, rewards and challenges of empire, John Hale combines fluent readability with up-to-date scholarship and a sense that in these pages you are witnessing not only a driving collective enterprise but the foundation-level struggles of our own world. This is tour de force of historical imagination."--(Adam Nicolson, Author of the New York Times bestsellers God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible and Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and Nelson's Battle of Trafalgar)

From the Publisher

"This is [a] tour de force of historical imagination." —-Adam Nicolson, award-winning author of God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible

Donald Kagan

"Nobody knows more about the history of oared ships around the world than John Hale, and he combines with it a knowledge of and love for the ancient Athenians that helps explain their achievement. To provide a new angle from which to view and understand the experience of the Athenians of the Classical age is a remarkable feat, but Lords of the Sea accomplishes just that. It tells the story of the central role played by the great navy in shaping the government, politics, economy and culture in the years of the greatness of Athens in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. The writing is utterly captivating and makes the reader feel he is back in ancient Athens among the great poets, historians, sculptors, architects, soldiers and sailors, all of whom were connected in important ways to the Athenian navy."--(Donald Kagan, Author of The Peloponnesian War)

Editorial Reviews

Mr. Hale's sea-level view of Athens during its Golden Age is…a novel and gripping way to approach a story that has been told many times before…Mr. Hale's simple but vigorous sentences prick up your ears from the first page.
—The New York Times

Dwight Garner

Historian and archeologist Hale brings both skill sets to bear in this account of an Athens whose golden age and democratic institutions depended on its navy. Between 489 and 322 B.C., Athens built, ruled and lost an empire extending from the Aegean to the Black Sea. The sea permeated every sphere of Athenian life, and most well-known Athenians were identified with sea power: Thucydides and Sophocles commanded fleets. The fleets were based on triremes, reflecting a doctrine favoring the craft and cunning of the steersman and rowers over brute force. Those skills were a product of the commitment and cooperation of free men who played an increasing role in Athenian politics at the expense of those better off and higher born. In times of crisis, all free adult males were expected to board the triremes. Athens's rule of the sea came to an end when a cabal of aristocrats betrayed the fleet to the Macedonians. And that was possible only because the "mysterious spiritual essence" sustaining Athenian effort and sacrifice had been lost as well. (June)

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Publishers Weekly

"You'd have to be half asleep already not to become hooked by the first few paragraphs of John Hale's Lords of the Sea - The Cleveland Plain Dealer "Hale's simple but vigorous sentences prick up your ears from the first page...one hopes to hear more from him."-Dwight Garner, The New York Times "With something for almost everyone, "Lords of the Sea" tells an important story and imparts to him who wants to learn important lessons. It's well worth the read." -Washington Times "Dr. Hale's sparkling creation, that rare history so brilliantly told that, like the Athenian democracy, it is truly for all people." - Louisville Courier-Journal "Historian and archeologist Hale brings both skill sets to bear in this account of an Athens whose golden age and democratic institutions depended on its navy." - Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher