Rulers of the Sea: Maritime Strategy and Sea Power in Ancient Greece, 550–321 BCE

John Nash

Published by De Gruyter Oldenbourg 2024

Rulers of the Sea

Maritime Strategy and Sea Power in Ancient Greece, 550–321 BCE

John Nash

Volume 8 in the series De Gruyter Studies in Military History

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111342931

About this book

This is a study of sea power and maritime strategy in the Classical Greek world. More than just a study of navies and battles, it examines how the sea was used to influence events ashore and how the use of naval power combined with land power had a defining impact on the period. After an examination of the oft-overlooked practical issues of navigation and administration, the book explores the idea of a ‘maritime consciousness’ in Greece and how this shaped the way the Greeks engaged in war. Naval operations from the Persian Wars down to the rise of Thebes are examined at the operational and strategic level, including a catalogue of the hundreds of different maritime operations from the 5^th and 4^th centuries BCE. Further, while the great sea power Athens is most prominent, it looks at other city-states to examine how they utilised sea power. This new approach uses modern theory to highlight some enduring lessons of sea power. It demonstrates that Classical scholars should embrace sea power as an important concept in the Greek world. Modern scholars of naval and strategic studies should cast their gaze further back in time when looking for lessons in sea power. This book helps to bridge the scholarship between these two disciplines.

Author / Editor information

John Nash, Australian Army Research Centre, Canberra, Australia.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Notes on spelling, names, and translations Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Introduction: ‘sea power’ and other concepts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter One Setting the scene: geography, environment, navigation, and fishing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
Chapter Two Wooden walls: ships and naval organisation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	34
Chapter Three The ship of state: Greek maritime consciousness Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	52
Chapter Four The birth of navies – sixth-century Greece Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	78
Chapter Five Divine Salamis: the Persian Wars Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
Chapter Six Rulers of the sea: Athens and the Delian League Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	101
Chapter Seven The great war: the Peloponnesian war from Corcyra to Sicily Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
Chapter Eight The triumph of sea power: Sicily and the Ionian War Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Chapter Nine No easy thing: the fall of Spartan sea power and Athens’ return Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
Chapter Ten Aegean awakening: Thebes, war in the North, and the rise of Macedon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
Chapter Eleven The lessons of sea power Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	202
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	222
Appendix 1 Glossary of terms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	225
Appendix 2 Database of maritime operations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	231
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	265

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Oldenbourg
Audience: Historians, military professionals, university students, anyone interested in naval/maritime history & ancient Greek history
Pages
- Front matter: 12
- Main content: 270
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 1
- Coloured Illustrations: 2
Keywords: Military history; naval history; Ancient Greek; Sea Power

eBook

Published: December 4, 2023
ISBN: 9783111342931

Hardcover

Published: December 4, 2023
ISBN: 9783111342856