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

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 menfrom extraordinary leaders to seductive roguesthat 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. JOHN R. HALE , currently the director of liberal studies at the University of Louisville, is an archaeologist who has conducted extensive underwater expeditions for ancient warships. He has been profiled by NPR and The New York Times , and has written for Scientific American , among other publications. He lives in New Albany, Indiana. Hale's simple but vigorous sentences prick up your ears from the first page.Dwight Garner, The New York Times You'd have to be half asleep not to become hooked by the first few paragraphs.Jean Dubail, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) I have never felt so much that I was in ancient Athens as when I was reading this book.Donald Kagan, author of The Peloponnesian War ϡ쯦랠 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. JOHN R. HALE , currently the director of liberal studies at the University of Louisville, is an archaeologist who has conducted extensive underwater expeditions for ancient warships. He has been profiled by NPR and The New York Times , and has written for Scientific American , among other publications. He lives in New Albany, Indiana. “Hale's simple but vigorous sentences prick up your ears from the first page.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times “You'd have to be half asleep not to become hooked by the first few paragraphs.”—Jean Dubail, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) “I have never felt so much that I was in ancient Athens as when I was reading this book.”—Donald Kagan, author of The Peloponnesian War History / Ancient,History A stirring history of the worlds first dominant navy and the towering empire it builtThe navy created by the people of Athens in ancient Greece was one of the finest fighting forces in the history of the world and the model for all other national navies to come. The Athenian navy built a civilization, empowered the worlds first democracy, and led a band of ordinary citizens on a voyage of discovery that altered the course of history. Its defeat of the Persian fleet at Salamis in 480 BCE launched the Athenian Golden Age and preserved Greek freedom and culture for centuries. With Lords of the Sea, renowned archaeologist John Hale presents, for the first time, the definitive history of the epic battles, the indomitable ships, and the menfrom extraordinary leaders to seductive rogueswho established Athenss supremacy. With a scholars insight and a storytellers flair, Hale takes us on an illustrated tour of the heroes and their turbulent careers and far-flung expeditions and brings back to light a forgotten maritime empire and its majestic legacy. 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.