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Lords Of The Sea: The Epic Story Of The Athenian Navy & The Birth Of Democracy (2009)

by John R. Hale(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

067002080X (ISBN13: 9780670020805)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Viking Adult

review 1: This book is fun to read, and provides a helpful and unique window into the naval affairs of ancient Athens. It is much more of a history of Athens, built on the thesis that precisely the navy enabled Athens to flourish and become great. However, the portrait of Athens in the book is highly romanticized, and the reader is left with the impression that Athens could do no wrong. Nonetheless, it covers a lot of ground and provides many insights into the history of ancient Greece, and is especially accessible for those unfamiliar with the subject.
review 2: Scholar John Hale traces the Golden Age of Athens (480-322 BC) and the importance of naval power, which saved them from the Persians, created an empire, and was the backbone of Athenian democracy. The Trireme, ... morea 120-foot wooden ship with a bronze ram at the prow, was manned by 170 rowers on 3 levels - these rowers were free men, not slaves, and had to be well-trained to execute combat maneuvers. In addition to the great statesmen and military leaders of the age (Themistocles, father of the Athenian Navy; Pericles; Phormio, Demosthenes) it was the age of the Playwrights, Historians, and Philosophers - who themselves also served in the navy. Yet many of them also fell out of favor with the assembly and were exiled or killed - it was a harsh democracy. One leader, Alcibiades, was judged a failure in the assault on Syracuse (in Sicily) and was recalled. Rather than face the assembly, he fled to Sparta and counseled them on how to defeat the Athenians. He later fled to Persia after bedding the Spartan King's wife (she even got pregnant), and finally, led the Athenians to victory over the Spartans and returned in glory, his death sentence revoked. Describing Alcibiades, the playwright Aristophanes coined the phrase, "They cannot live with him and they cannot live without him."The distances that ordinary Athenians were able to travel on naval service, the lands and trade that were opened to them are remarkable. City planning, rules of law and trade, public criticism (from the playwrights mainly), were other features that originated or grew under the Athenians and are with us today. less

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