Download or read book The Athenian Navy and Spartan Army written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-04-14 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts *Includes a bibliography for further reading "Forward, sons of the Greeks,Liberate the fatherland,Liberate your children, your women,The altars of the gods of your fathers,And the graves of your ancestors: Now is the fight for everything." - The Greek battle hymn sung before the Battle of Salamis according to Aeschylus Dominated to this day by the sprawling white marble complex of the Acropolis, Athens is a city which is immensely and rightly proud of its past. For a period of roughly three centuries, the polis of Athens stood, if not in a position of unchallenged supremacy among the cities of Hellas, then at the very least among its three most important polities. Its fledgling empire, though small by the standards later set by Alexander or the Romans, or even by those of its ancient enemy Persia, nonetheless encompassed cities as far afield as Asia Minor and Southern Italy, a remarkable fact considering such expansion was achieved by the inhabitants of a single city and its immediate surroundings, rather than by an entire nation. Yet despite a martial tradition that, if taken as a whole, was second to none save the Spartans, Athens is chiefly remembered for two reasons: its political system, which would in time form the nucleus of all Western democratic systems of government, and the remarkable number of outstanding individuals which, during the Golden Age of Athens, lived and flourished in the enlightened city-state. The Ancient Athenians formed the backbone of the West's entire culture, from the arts to philosophy and everything in between. In virtually all fields of human endeavor Athens was so much at the forefront of dynamism and innovation that the products of its most brilliant minds remain not only influential but entirely relevant to this day. The most unique city-state in Ancient Greece was Sparta, which continues to fascinate contemporaneous society. It is not entirely clear why Sparta placed such a great emphasis on having a militaristic society, but the result was that military fitness was a preoccupation from birth. If a Spartan baby did not appear physically fit at birth, it was left to die. Spartan children underwent military training around the age of 7 years old, and every male had to join the army around the age of 18. The Spartans, whose carefully constructed approach to warfare and - there is no other word for it - Spartan way of life, earned the grudging admiration of all of Greece and succeeded in establishing themselves in the years following the reforms of the semi-legendary ruler Lycurgus as the greatest military force in all of Hellas. Athens might have the mightiest fleet and the greatest cadre of philosophers and dramatists, Thessaly might have had the most vaunted cavalry, and the great city-states of Argos, Thebes and Corinth all had their own claims to fame, but on the battlefield the Spartan phalanx stood without peer. So feared were they in Greece that their very appearance on the battlefield could cause entire enemy armies to flee in terror, and in one of history's most famous battles, 300 Spartan warriors headed a combined Greek force which held off the hundreds of thousands of Persian warriors of Xerxes's invading army for three days at Thermopylae, inflicting an estimated 20,000 casualties upon them before dying to the last man rather than retreating. The Spartan Military: The History and Legacy of the Ancient World's Most Renowned Army looks at the history of the Spartan military, and how it became one of the most fearsome fighting forces in history. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Spartan military like never before.

Download or read book Athenian Democracy at War written by David Pritchard and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Studies all four branches of the Athenian armed forces to show how they helped make democratic Athens a superpower.

Download or read book The Ancient Athenian Navy written by Charles River Editors and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-04-11 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "Forward, sons of the Greeks, Liberate the fatherland, Liberate your children, your women, The altars of the gods of your fathers, And the graves of your ancestors: Now is the fight for everything." - The Greek battle hymn sung before the Battle of Salamis according to Aeschylus Dominated to this day by the sprawling white marble complex of the Acropolis, Athens is a city which is immensely and rightly proud of its past. For a period of roughly three centuries, the polis of Athens stood, if not in a position of unchallenged supremacy among the cities of Hellas, then at the very least among its three most important polities. Its fledgling empire, though small by the standards later set by Alexander or the Romans, or even by those of its ancient enemy Persia, nonetheless encompassed cities as far afield as Asia Minor and Southern Italy, a remarkable fact considering such expansion was achieved by the inhabitants of a single city and its immediate surroundings, rather than by an entire nation. Yet despite a martial tradition that, if taken as a whole, was second to none save the Spartans, Athens is chiefly remembered for two reasons: its political system, which would in time form the nucleus of all Western democratic systems of government, and the remarkable number of outstanding individuals which, during the Golden Age of Athens, lived and flourished in the enlightened city-state. The Ancient Athenians formed the backbone of the West's entire culture, from the arts to philosophy and everything in between. The flowering of Greek civilization was further made possible by an increase of trade between the cities and with other civilizations. Trade became a major occupation on account of the scarcity of agricultural land in the largely mountainous regions of the Balkan peninsula. The polis of Athens, in particular, assumed economic dominance in the Aegean in from the 6th century BCE. The consequent increase in wealth, resources and population made a cultural renaissance possible. Commerce, in turn, led to the rise of an affluent aristocratic class which had the leisure to devote itself to learning, philosophy, and art. It also led to an industrial class of freemen who were artists and craftsmen. However, none of it would've been possible without military forces undergirding Athens' might, and for much of its history, the Athenian navy was the single strongest force in the Mediterranean, having defeated the overwhelming might of Persia in pitched battle upon the open sea numerous times. The Athenian army itself, though subordinate to its naval power - a sop to the fact that it was trade and empire-building that had made Athens rich - was nothing to be sneered at, as it succeeded in meting out a humiliating defeat to Darius's Persians at Marathon. Nonetheless, the Spartan military is remembered for being the preeminent land force, while Athens constructed its empire and enforced its will through pioneering ship technology and tactics. In the process, the Athenians heavily influenced how naval warfare would be conducted in the ancient world for centuries. The Ancient Athenian Navy: The History and Legacy of Greece's Dominant Naval Force in Antiquity chronicles how the navy helped Athens flourish, and why it ruled the Mediterranean in the Classical Era. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Athenian navy like never before.

Download or read book March of the Sparta s written by James K. Wheaton and published by Golgotha Press. This book was released on 2013-11-22 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Peloponnesian War was a war between the two great powers of Greece, Athens and Sparta. Fought in the 5th century BC, the war itself was, in fact, a compilation of several wars, fought over tens of years, and included cities of the Athenian empire battling the Peloponnesian Confederacy (which included, amongst other city-states, Thebes, Corinth, and Sparta). Its initial causes (including an infraction on trade) were not its root causes, as the war was an attempt by Sparta to curb the expansion of the budding Athenian empire. It pitted the world’s first democracy against a great aristocracy, a great naval power against a great army. The details of the war come down to us from one of the world’s first, and great, historians: Thucydides. The war reshaped Greece, humbling one empire while giving strength to another. Its ultimate victor, or rather the country that profited the most from the war, was an enemy to both of its combatants. It gave birth to the concept of total war, of large scale conflict, and brought with it the end of Greece’s Golden Age. In this book, James K. Wheaton looks into the causes and effect of the Peloponnesian War.

Download or read book Lords of the Sea written by John R. Hale and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a history of the epic battles, the indomitable ships, and the men--from extraordinary leaders to seductive rogues--who established Athens' supremacy, taking readers on a tour of the far-flung expeditions and detailing the legacy of a forgotten maritime empire.

Download or read book Sparta s Second Attic War written by Paul Anthony Rahe and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a continuation of his multivolume series on ancient Sparta, Paul Rahe narrates the second stage in the six-decades-long, epic struggle between Sparta and Athens that first erupted some seventeen years after their joint victory in the Persian Wars. Rahe explores how and why open warfare between these two erstwhile allies broke out a second time, after they had negotiated an extended truce. He traces the course of the war that then took place, he examines and assesses the strategy each community pursued and the tactics adopted, and he explains how and why mutual exhaustion forced on these two powers yet another truce doomed to fail. At stake for each of the two peoples caught up in this enduring strategic rivalry, as Rahe shows, was nothing less than the survival of its political regime and of the peculiar way of life to which that regime gave rise.

Download or read book A War Like No Other written by Victor Davis Hanson and published by Random House. This book was released on 2011-11-30 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of our most provocative military historians, Victor Davis Hanson has given us painstakingly researched and pathbreaking accounts of wars ranging from classical antiquity to the twenty-first century. Now he juxtaposes an ancient conflict with our most urgent modern concerns to create his most engrossing work to date, A War Like No Other. Over the course of a generation, the Hellenic city-states of Athens and Sparta fought a bloody conflict that resulted in the collapse of Athens and the end of its golden age. Thucydides wrote the standard history of the Peloponnesian War, which has given readers throughout the ages a vivid and authoritative narrative. But Hanson offers readers something new: a complete chronological account that reflects the political background of the time, the strategic thinking of the combatants, the misery of battle in multifaceted theaters, and important insight into how these events echo in the present. Hanson compellingly portrays the ways Athens and Sparta fought on land and sea, in city and countryside, and details their employment of the full scope of conventional and nonconventional tactics, from sieges to targeted assassinations, torture, and terrorism. He also assesses the crucial roles played by warriors such as Pericles and Lysander, artists, among them Aristophanes, and thinkers including Sophocles and Plato. Hanson’s perceptive analysis of events and personalities raises many thought-provoking questions: Were Athens and Sparta like America and Russia, two superpowers battling to the death? Is the Peloponnesian War echoed in the endless, frustrating conflicts of Vietnam, Northern Ireland, and the current Middle East? Or was it more like America’s own Civil War, a brutal rift that rent the fabric of a glorious society, or even this century’s “red state—blue state” schism between liberals and conservatives, a cultural war that manifestly controls military policies? Hanson daringly brings the facts to life and unearths the often surprising ways in which the past informs the present. Brilliantly researched, dynamically written, A War Like No Other is like no other history of this important war.

Download or read book The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta written by Paul Anthony Rahe and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2015-11-24 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DIV” “Powerfully illustrates . . . that this regime determined the character and limits of Sparta’s domestic and foreign policy.” (Susan D. Collins, IThe Review of Politics) More than 2500 years ago a confederation of small Greek city-states defeated the invading armies of Persia, the most powerful empire in the world. In this meticulously researched study, historian Paul Rahe argues that Sparta was responsible for the initial establishment of the Hellenic defensive coalition and was the most essential player in its ultimate victory. Drawing from an impressive range of ancient sources, including Herodotus and Plutarch, the author veers from the traditional Atheno-centric view of the Greco-Persian Wars to examine from a Spartan perspective the strategy that halted the Persian juggernaut. Rahe provides a fascinating, detailed picture of life in Sparta circa 480 B.C., revealing how the Spartans’ form of government and the regimen to which they subjected themselves instilled within them the pride, confidence, discipline, and discernment necessary to forge an alliance that would stand firm against a great empire, driven by religious fervor, that held sway over two-fifths of the human race. “[Rahe] has an excellent eye for military logistics . . . crisp and persuasive.” —The Wall Street Journal “Intensely well-researched and well-balanced.” —Steve Donoghue, The National “Masterful.” —Joseph Bottum, Books and Culture “A serious scholarly endeavor.” —Eric W. Robinson, American Historical Review “This brilliant revisionist study . . . reminds us how Sparta . . . saved Western freedom from the Persian aggression—and did so because of its innate courage, political stability, and underappreciated genius.” —Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Other Greeks “Full of keen understandings that help explain Spartan policy, diplomacy, and strategy.” —Donald Kagan, author of The Peloponnesian War /DIV

Download or read book The Peloponnesian Wars written by Kelly Mass and published by Efalon Acies. This book was released on 2023-12-13 with total page 23 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In ancient Greece, the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) unfolded as a fierce confrontation between the Delian League, led by Athens, and the Peloponnesian League, spearheaded by Sparta. Historians traditionally divide the war into three distinct phases. The initial stage, known as the Archidamian War, witnessed Sparta launching relentless attacks on Attica, while Athens, leveraging its naval dominance, struck the Peloponnesian coast and quelled dissent within its empire. The Peace of Nicias in 421 BC marked the end of this phase, but ongoing conflicts in the Peloponnese soon jeopardized the agreement. In 415 BC, Athens, undeterred, dispatched a formidable expeditionary force to besiege Syracuse, Sicily—an ill-fated endeavor resulting in the utter destruction of the entire army by 413 BC. This catastrophic event marked the commencement of the war's final phase, termed the Decelean War or the Ionian War. Backed by the Achaemenid Empire, Sparta fomented rebellions in Athens' subject territories in the Aegean Sea and Ionia, gradually eroding the city's empire and stripping it of naval supremacy. The Battle of Aegospotami dealt a decisive blow to Athens' navy, effectively concluding the war, and the city-state surrendered the following year. While Thucydides, a preeminent historian of the conflict, never employed the term "Peloponnesian War," its widespread modern usage reflects the prevailing Athens-centric perspectives among contemporary historians. Notably, J. B. Bury, a distinguished historian, posits that the Peloponnesians likely termed it the "Attic War."

Download or read book The Political Economy of Classical Athens written by Barry O’Halloran and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-11-26 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently there has been a welcome revival of scholarly interest in the economy of classical Greece. In the face of increasingly compelling arguments for the existence of a market economy in classical Athens, the Finleyan orthodoxy is finally relinquishing its long dominion. In this book, Barry O’Halloran seeks to contribute to this renewed debate by re-interrogating the ancient evidence using more recent economic interpretative frameworks. The aim is to re-evaluate accepted orthodoxies and present the economic history of this emblematic city-state in a new light. More specifically, it analyses the economic foundations of Athens through the prism of its navy. Its macroeconomic approach utilises an employment-demand model through which enormous naval defence expenditures created an exceptional period of demand-led economic growth.

Download or read book The Great War Between Athens and Sparta written by Bernard William Henderson and published by . This book was released on 1927 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Athenian navy in the classical period written by Borimir Jordan and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Spartan Army written by J. F. Lazenby and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For at least two centuries the Spartan army was the most formidable war machine in Greece; the purpose of this book is to show the reasons for this. Professor Lazenby looks first at the composition, training and organization of the army, tracing its roots back to the eighth century BC. The second part analyses some of the main campaigns - Thermopylae, Plataea, Sphakteria, Mantineia, The Nemea, Koroneia, Lechaion and Leuktra. The final part continues the story to the end of Greek independence. Since this book was first written over 25 years ago, novels, computer games and films such as 300 have raised interest in the Spartan military to new heights. The return to print of this excellent study is sure to interest academics and more general readers alike.

Download or read book Grand Strategy and Military Alliances written by Peter R. Mansoor and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-02-09 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A broad-ranging study of the relationship between alliances and the conduct of grand strategy, examined through historical case studies.

Download or read book Fortress Israel written by Patrick Tyler and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2012-09-18 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Once in the military system, Israelis never fully exit," writes the prizewinning journalist Patrick Tyler in the prologue to Fortress Israel. "They carry the military identity for life, not just through service in the reserves until age forty-nine . . . but through lifelong expectations of loyalty and secrecy." The military is the country to a great extent, and peace will only come, Tyler argues, when Israel's military elite adopt it as the national strategy. Fortress Israel is an epic portrayal of Israel's martial culture—of Sparta presenting itself as Athens. From Israel's founding in 1948, we see a leadership class engaged in an intense ideological struggle over whether to become the "light unto nations," as envisioned by the early Zionists, or to embrace an ideology of state militarism with the objective of expanding borders and exploiting the weaknesses of the Arabs. In his first decade as prime minister, David Ben-Gurion conceived of a militarized society, dominated by a powerful defense establishment and capable of defeating the Arabs in serial warfare over many decades. Bound by self-reliance and a stern resolve never to forget the Holocaust, Israel's military elite has prevailed in war but has also at times overpowered Israel's democracy. Tyler takes us inside the military culture of Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Ariel Sharon, and Benjamin Netanyahu, introducing us to generals who make decisions that trump those of elected leaders and who disdain diplomacy as appeasement or surrender. Fortress Israel shows us how this martial culture envelops every family. Israeli youth go through three years of compulsory military service after high school, and acceptance into elite commando units or air force squadrons brings lasting prestige and a network for life. So ingrained is the martial outlook and identity, Tyler argues, that Israelis are missing opportunities to make peace even when it is possible to do so. "The Zionist movement had survived the onslaught of world wars, the Holocaust, and clashes of ideology," writes Tyler, "but in the modern era of statehood, Israel seemed incapable of fielding a generation of leaders who could adapt to the times, who were dedicated to ending . . . [Israel's] isolation, or to changing the paradigm of military preeminence." Based on a vast array of sources, declassified documents, personal archives, and interviews across the spectrum of Israel's ruling class, FortressIsrael is a remarkable story of character, rivalry, conflict, and the competing impulses for war and for peace in the Middle East.

Download or read book The Peloponnesian War written by Thucydides and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-05-23 with total page 635 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Thomas Hobbes's translation of Thucydides brings together the magisterial prose of one of the greatest writers of the English language and the depth of mind and experience of one of the greatest writers of history in any language. . . . For every reason, the current availability of this great work is a boon."—Joseph Cropsey, University of Chicago

Download or read book Thucydides on Strategy written by Athanasios G. Platias and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2017 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Masterfully crafted and surprisingly modern, "History of the Peloponnesian War" has long been celebrated as an insightful, eloquent, and exhaustively detailed work of classical Greek history. The text is also remarkable for its deep political and military dimensions, and scholars have begun to place the work alongside Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Clausewitz's On War as one of the great treatises on strategy. The perfect companion to Thucydides' impressive History, this volume details the specific strategic concepts at work within the History of the Peloponnesian War and demonstrates, through case studies of recent conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the continuing relevance of Thucydidean thought to an analysis and planning of strategic operations. Some have even credited Thucydides with founding the discipline of international relations. Written by two scholars with extensive experience in this and related fields, Thucydides on Strategy situates the classical historian solidly in the modern world of war.