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

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.

Noted archaeologist John R. Hale presents a stirring history of the world's first dominant navy and the towering empire it built.

The New York Times - Dwight Garner

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.

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