Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy & the Birth of Democracy (62 page)

Over the years of research into Greek naval matters I have been educated by the conversations, correspondence, and critical comments of many great scholars, among them Lucien Basch, Jack Cargill, Lionel Casson, John Coates, Philip de Souza, Victor Davis Hanson, Peter Krentz, Robert Littman, Sean McGrail, John Morrison, Bill Murray, Boris Rankov, Barry Strauss, Larry Tritle, Harry Tzalas, Hans van Wees, and H. T. Wallinga. Here at the University of Louisville I am indebted to my colleagues Bob Luginbill, who helped interpret the Greek text of Phormio’s stratagems as recorded by Polyaenus; Bob Kebric, who took an interest in ancient rowing techniques; and astronomer John Kielkopf, who helped determine the positions of celestial bodies in the night sky at the time of the battle of Salamis. In Finland, Ville Aaltonen enlightened me about modern competitors who depend for their speed, as did the ancient Athenians, on rowing pads and leg muscles.

Among underwater archaeologists I have learned much about ancient ships from Bridget Buxton, Deborah Carlson, Susan Katzev, Paraskevi Micha, and Katerina Delaporta, ephor of underwater antiquities during the time of my research in Greece. I salute my friends and colleagues in the Persian Wars Shipwreck Survey—Shelley Wachsmann, Bob Hohlfelder, Dan Davis, Alexis Catsambis, Dana Yoerger, and the crew and scientific team of the Greek research vessel
Aegaeo.
I owe my understanding of the Navy Yard and the life of the Athenian trireme on shore to the amphibious heroes of the Zea Harbor Project, including Bjørn Lovén, Mads Nielsen, artist Ioannis Nakas, as well as the generous souls who joined the American Friends of the Zea Harbor Project.

Donald Kagan provided the original inspiration for this book. Years later, he also provided its title. On a snowy night in February 2006 I was sitting at the table in the Kagans’ gleaming black-and-white kitchen. Myrna Kagan had already washed her hands of yet another obsessive discussion of the Athenian navy and retired to the upper regions. Don was staring at a long list of phrases, keywords, and rejected titles that had accumulated over half a decade in the quest to name the book. The only sound was the blizzard beating lightly on the windowpane. Suddenly Don raised his head, stared at me with a sort of visionary glow, and pronounced, in oracular tones, four words. I acknowledged at once that the phrase made a good title, and also had the benefit, if I remembered rightly, of being drawn from one of Pericles’ speeches.

“Are you sure? Not the Funeral Oration, anyway. Bring me the book.” In the Kagans’ house, a Greek text of Thucydides is never more than a few steps away from your chair. I fetched the nearest one. Don began to work his way through the last speech of Pericles, the defiant oration delivered after the plague had struck and the people had turned against their leader. As always, he held the page three inches away from his face and ran his finger along the lines, muttering as he read.

“If I did not see you discouraged . . . the world . . . land and sea . . .” The translating ceased. “Ha! It’s better than you remembered.
Kyriôtatous!
The Athenians rule as supreme lords—
most
lords. So!” Don clapped the book shut and handed it back across the table. “Let it be
Lords of the Sea.
”

INDEX

Page numbers in
italics
refer to illustrations and maps.

Abronichus

Abydos, battle of

Academy

Acarnania

Acharnians
(Aristophanes)

Achilles

Achilles
ROV

Acropolis

Erechtheum temple on

Persian siege of

Phidias’ statue of Athena on

rebuilding of

Actium, battle of

Adeimantus

Aegaeo
RV

Aegina

Athenian feud with

Aegospotami (Goat Rivers), battle of

Athenian defeat in

Conon’s flight from

site of

spy ships in

Aegyptus

Aeschines

Aeschylus

Aesop

Afghanistan

Agamemnon

Agesilaus, king of Sparta

Agis, king of Sparta

Agora

Ahura Mazda

Ajax

Akademos

Alalia, battle of

Alcibiades

at Abydos

at Aegospotami

at Cyzicus

death of

Eupolis’ lampoon of

Notium fiasco and

at Potidaea

recovery of Athens and

in return to Athens

scandalous behavior of

in Sicilian expedition

Spartan sojourn of

Alexander the Great

Alexandria founded by

at Chaeronea

Alexander the Great (
cont.
)

death of

in Egypt

Exiles Decree of

at Gaugamela

at Granicus River

invasion of Greece and

at Miletus

Persia invaded by

successors of

Alyzia, battle of

Amazons

Ambracia

Ameinias

Amorgos, battle of

Amphipolis, battle of

Amphitrite

Amyntas, king of Macedon

Anabasis
(Xenophon)

Anaxagoras

Androtion

Antigone
(Sophocles)

Antiochus

Antipater

Aphrodite

Apollo

Archelaus, king of Macedon

Archippe

Areopagus (Hill of Ares)

Ares

Arginusae Islands, battle of

Athenian deployment in

Spartan deployment in

storm after

Thrasyllus’ dream and

Argonauts

Argos

Ariaramnes

Aristagoras of Miletus

Aristides

Aristocrates

Aristomenes

Aristophanes

Aristotle

death of

followers of

naval democracy opposed by

Nicomachean Ethics
of

Artaxerxes I, king of Persia

Artaxerxes II, king of Persia

King’s Peace of

Artaxerxes III, king of Persia

Artemis

Artemisia, queen of Halicarnassus

Artemisium, battle of

Cilician naval losses in

Greek encampment and

Greek retreat from

Persian attack in

Persian flanking movement in

Themistocles’ strategy for

Aspasia

Assembly, Athenian

Alcibiades recalled by

appointment of generals by

colonization mission and

Corcyran alliance and

Demosthenes’ maiden speech in

enfranchisement of slaves by

Long Walls proposal in

meeting protocols of

Pericles demoted by

Phormio reinstated by

Segesta delegation and

Sicilian expedition decided on

Themistocles’ naval proposal and

Themistocles ostracized by

Tolmides’ expedition supported by

trial of the generals and

and War with the Allies

western campaign and

“Assembly Women, The” (
Ecclesiazusae
) (Aristophanes)

Astarte

Atalante

Athena

Atlantis myth and

Parthenon statue of

Phidias’ statue of

Athenian Empire

allied tribute districts of

Athenian Trireme, The: A Study of Nautical Archaeology
(Cartault)

Athens:

Aegina’s conflict with

Alcibiades’ return to

Alexander’s successors and

Assembly of,
see
Assembly, Athenian

Attica building project of

barbers in

Black Sea expedition of

citizenship in

colonization mission of

commoners and aristocrats of

constitution of

cultural renaissance of

democracy in

Egyptian expedition of

and end of Golden Age

festivals in

Four Hundred’s rule in

government of

growth of

intellectual life in

Ionian revolt and

Laurium silver mines and

Lycurgan naval reforms of

Macedonian occupation of

medicine in

monument to war dead of

navalization of

Athens (
cont.
)

naval power and policy of

oligarchic coup in

peacetime naval expeditions of

Pericles’ reforms and

population growth of

reaction to Aegospotami’s outcome in

rebuilding of

in recovery from Sicilian expedition

rule by generals in

Samian War and

seafaring and

in Second Maritime League

sexual license in

slaves enfranchised in

standardized coinage and weights and measures in

thalassocracy of

theater in

Theseus cult in

thetes of

Thirty Tyrants’ rule in

urban development in

Zacynthus alliance and

see also
Acropolis; Parthenon; Piraeus

Atlantis

Atlas

Attica

deforestation of

geography of

Augustus, emperor of Rome

Baal, cult of

Babylonia

Babylonians
(Aristophanes)

Baptai
(“The Dippers”) (Eupolis)

Barathron

Bendis

Ben-Hur
(Wallace)

Black Sea

Boreas

Brasidas

Bucephalas

bull sacrifice, cult of

Byzantium

Cadmus

Callias

Callicratidas

Callistratus

Calynda, king of

Cantharus Harbor

Caria

Cartault, Augustin

Carthage

Casson, Lionel

Castor

Catana

Cecrops, king of Athens

Cecryphaleia, battle of

Cedon

Cephallenia

Cephisodotus

Chabrias

Chaeronea, battle of

Chaireas

Chalcedon

Characters
(Theophrastus)

Chares

Charitimides

Charon

China

Chios

Chrysopolis (Golden City)

Churchill, Winston

Cilicia

Cimon

death of

democratic reforms opposed by

leadership of

Long Walls project and

navalization of Athens and

ostracism of

in Persian Wars

Sparta as model for

Theseus’ bones recovered by

Clazomenae

Cleinias

Cleisthenes

Cleito

Cleitus

Cleombrotus

Cleon

Aristophanes’ satirization of

death of

personality of

Sphacteria blockade and

cleruchies (
klerouchoi
)

Cnemus

Cnidus, battle of

Coates, John

Conon

at Aegospotami

at Cnidus

death of

military career of

Constitution of the Athenians
(Xenophon)

Corcyra

Corinth

Athenian conflict with

battle of Sybota Islands and

Corcyra’s conflict with

triremes of

Coronea, battle of

Cos

Council of Five Hundred

Crannon, battle of

Cratinus

Crete

Critias

Critias
(Plato)

Cronus

Ctesias

Cunaxa, battle of

Cybele

Cydonia

Cynossema

Cyprus

Cyrus the Younger, prince of Persia

Cyzicus, battle of

Alcibiades’ ruse in

fight at Kleroi in

Danaus

Darius I, king of Persia

Darius III, king of Persia

Delian League

Eion campaign and

founding of

growth of

tribute paid to

waning of

Delos

Delphic Oracle

Theseus’ bones prophecy of

Wooden Wall prophecy of