This volume presents Greek Maritime History to a wider audience and unravels the historical trajectory of a maritime nation par excellence in the Eastern Mediterranean: the rise of the Greek merchant fleet and its transformation from a peripheral to an international carrier.

This study provides the most comprehensive history of the development of modern Greek shipping ever published, from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. It is richly illustrated with numerous maps, photographs and extensive tables.

Subjects and sovereigns -- The claims of religion -- The age of piracy -- The Ottoman Mediterranean -- The pursuit of justice -- At the Tribunale -- The turn toward Rome.

This study seeks to correct the underrepresentation of Mediterranean maritime history in academic publications, in attempt to understand the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment in which maritime activity takes place, by compiling ten essays from maritime historians concerning Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Greece, Turkey, and Israel. The aim of the collection is to provide an insight into Mediterranean maritime history to those who could not previously access such information due to language barriers or difficulty securing non-English publications; some of the essays have translated into English specifically for this publication. The majority of the essays concern the Early Modern period, and the remainder concern the contemporary.

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.

Ever since the earliest travellers took to the water on reed rafts or inflated goatskins, ships and boats have played a paramount role in the history of the western world. The invention of the sail in Egypt in about 3500 BC resulted in ever faster and more efficient water transport, and the nations that surrounded the Mediterranean in ancient times depended on ships and seafarers for their prosperity.

What can the architecture of ancient ships tell us about their capacity to carry cargo or to navigate certain trade routes? How do such insights inform our knowledge of the ancient economies that depended on maritime trade across the Mediterranean? These and similar questions lie behind Sailing from Polis to Empire, a fascinating insight into the practicalities of trading by boat in the ancient world. Allying modern scientific knowledge with Hellenistic sources, this interdisciplinary collection brings together experts in various fields of ship archaeology to shed new light on the role played by ships and sailing in the exchange networks of the Mediterranean. Covering all parts of the Eastern Mediterranean, these outstanding contributions delve into a broad array of data – literary, epigraphical, papyrological, iconographic and archaeological – to understand the trade routes that connected the economies of individual cities and kingdoms. Unique in its interdisciplinary approach and focus on the Hellenistic period, this collection digs into the questions that others don’t think to ask, and comes up with (sometimes surprising) answers. It will be of value to researchers in the fields of naval architecture, Classical and Hellenistic history, social history and ancient geography, and to all those with an interest in the ancient world or the seafaring life.

A sharp analysis of Greek naval history in the 1910s, a time when the importance of its geographic position and its navy increased greatly. It explains the causes of these developments and their consequences for Greek national aims, the Mediterranean naval situation and the Balkan balance of power. Within this context,

It has been claimed that ancient Athens differed from ancient Sparta and resembled Renaissance Italian republics and the early modern Dutch republic in being an aggressively commercial state with a business-minded elite. This work aims to refute that view. It argues that those trading with Athens were mainly poor and foreign--hence politically insignificant to Athens. Athens and other Greek states had no merchant marine of their own and took only limited measures, always short of war and lesser means of commercial imperialism, to attract maritime traders.