A Naval History of the Peloponnesian War

A Naval History of the Peloponnesian War
Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Total Pages : 386
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781473861602
ISBN-13 : 1473861608
Rating : 4/5 (02 Downloads)

Synopsis A Naval History of the Peloponnesian War by : Marc G. de Santis

Naval power played a vital role in the Peloponnesian War. The conflict pitted Athens against a powerful coalition including the preeminent land power of the day, Sparta. Only Athens superior fleet, her wooden walls, by protecting her vital supply routes allowed her to survive. It also allowed the strategic freedom of movement to strike back where she chose, most famously at Sphacteria, where a Spartan force was cut off and forced to surrender.Athens initial tactical superiority was demonstrated at the Battle of Chalcis, where her ships literally ran rings round the opposition but this gap closed as her enemies adapted. The great amphibious expedition to Sicily was a watershed, a strategic blunder compounded by tactical errors which brought defeat and irreplaceable losses. Although Athens continued to win victories at sea, at Arginusae for example, her naval strength had been severely weakened while the Spartans built up their fleets with Persian subsidies. It was another naval defeat, at Aegispotomi (405 BC) that finally sealed Athens fate. Marc De Santis narrates these stirring events while analyzing the technical, tactical and strategic aspects of the war at sea.

Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World

Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World
Author :
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Total Pages : 274
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781473889842
ISBN-13 : 1473889847
Rating : 4/5 (42 Downloads)

Synopsis Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World by : Owen Rees

Naval warfare is the unsung hero of ancient Greek military history, often overshadowed by the more glorified land battles. Owen Rees looks to redress the balance, giving naval battles their due attention. This book presents a selection of thirteen naval battles that span a defining century in ancient Greek history, from the Ionian Revolt and Persian Invasion to the rise of external naval powers in the Mediterranean Sea, such as the Carthaginians.Each battle is set in context. The background, wider military campaigns, and the opposing forces are discussed, followed by a narrative and analysis of the fighting. Finally, the aftermath of the battles are dealt with, looking at the strategic implications of the outcome for both the victor and the defeated. The battle narratives are supported by maps and tactical diagrams, showing the deployment of the fleets and the wider geographical factors involved in battle. Written in an accessible tone, this book successfully shows that Greek naval warfare did not start and end at the battle of Salamis.

Battle of Arginusae

Battle of Arginusae
Author :
Publisher : Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM
Total Pages : 139
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781421416823
ISBN-13 : 1421416824
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis Battle of Arginusae by : Debra Hamel

An Athenian triumph against Sparta end in disaster and infamy in this naval history of Ancient Greece in the 5th century B.C. Toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, nearly three hundred Athenian and Spartan ships fought a pivotal skirmish in the Arginusae Islands. Larger than any previous naval battle between warring Greeks, the Battle of Arginusae was a crucial win for Athens. Its aftermath, however, was a major disaster for its people. Due to numerous factors, the Athenian commanders abandoned the crews of twenty-five disabled ships. Thousands of soldiers were left clinging to wreckage and awaiting help that never came. When the failure was discovered back home, the eight generals in charge were deposed. Two fled into exile, while the other six were tried and executed. In The Battle of Arginusae, historian Debra Hamel describes the violent battle and its horrible aftermath. Hamel introduces readers to Athens and Sparta, the two thriving superpowers of the fifth century B.C. She provides a summary of the events that caused the long war and discusses the tactical intricacies of Greek naval warfare. Recreating the claustrophobic, unhygienic conditions in which the ships’ crews operated, Hamel unfolds the process that turned this naval victory into one of the most infamous chapters in the city-state’s history.

An Analysis of Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War

An Analysis of Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War
Author :
Publisher : CRC Press
Total Pages : 79
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781351353144
ISBN-13 : 1351353144
Rating : 4/5 (44 Downloads)

Synopsis An Analysis of Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War by : Mark Fisher

Few works can claim to form the foundation stones of one entire academic discipline, let alone two, but Thucydides's celebrated History of the Peloponnesian War is not only one of the first great works of history, but also the departure point from which the modern discipline of international relations has been built. This is the case largely because the author is a master of analysis; setting out with the aim of giving a clear, well-reasoned account of one of the seminal events of the age – a war that resulted in the collapse of Athenian power and the rise of Sparta – Thucydides took care to build a single, beautifully-structured argument that was faithful to chronology and took remarkably few liberties with the source materials. He avoided the sort of assumptions that make earlier works frustrating for modern scholars, for example seeking reasons for outcomes that were rooted in human actions and agency, not in the will of the gods. And he was careful to explain where he had obtained much of his information. As a work of structure – and as a work of reasoning – The History of the Peloponnesian War continues to inspire, be read and be taught more than 2,000 years after it was written.

A War Like No Other

A War Like No Other
Author :
Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages : 418
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780812969702
ISBN-13 : 0812969707
Rating : 4/5 (02 Downloads)

Synopsis A War Like No Other by : Victor Davis Hanson

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.

Lords of the Sea

Lords of the Sea
Author :
Publisher : Penguin
Total Pages : 436
Release :
ISBN-10 : 067002080X
ISBN-13 : 9780670020805
Rating : 4/5 (0X Downloads)

Synopsis Lords of the Sea by : John R. Hale

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.

Thucydides on Strategy

Thucydides on Strategy
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 213
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780190696382
ISBN-13 : 0190696389
Rating : 4/5 (82 Downloads)

Synopsis Thucydides on Strategy by : Athanasios G. Platias

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.

The Landmark Thucydides

The Landmark Thucydides
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 760
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781416590873
ISBN-13 : 1416590870
Rating : 4/5 (73 Downloads)

Synopsis The Landmark Thucydides by : Thucydides

Chronicles two decades of war between Athens and Sparta.

The Archidamian War

The Archidamian War
Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Total Pages : 394
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780801467233
ISBN-13 : 0801467233
Rating : 4/5 (33 Downloads)

Synopsis The Archidamian War by : Donald Kagan

This book, the second volume in Donald Kagan's tetralogy about the Peloponnesian War, is a provocative and tightly argued history of the first ten years of the war. Taking a chronological approach that allows him to present at each stage the choices that were open to both sides in the conflict, Kagan focuses on political, economic, diplomatic, and military developments. He evaluates the strategies used by both sides and reconsiders the roles played by several key individuals.

The Navy Times Book of Submarines

The Navy Times Book of Submarines
Author :
Publisher : Berkley Hardcover
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0425157776
ISBN-13 : 9780425157770
Rating : 4/5 (76 Downloads)

Synopsis The Navy Times Book of Submarines by : Brayton Harris

Shattering long-held myths and misunderstandings, author Brayton Harris traces the development of the submarine through an era in which writers of fiction saw the merits better than most professionals -- until the Germans almost won World War I. He covers the professional and political arrogance that delayed antisubmarine development for so long that German submarines almost won World War II as well, and examines post-war progress toward the truly awesome submarine of today. Along the way, Harris explores the shifting moral issues of "unrestricted" naval warfare, outlines the hundred-year search for an effective underwater power plant that culminated in the nuclear reactor, and raises important questions about the future. A fascinating exploration of the steps and stumbles during development, a rousing tribute to those who fought and died, and a powerful study of the submarine's impact on America, The Navy Times Book of Submarines is an unparalleled source for understanding the great "hunters of the deep".