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The Athenian navy was relatively nonexistent until slightly before the Second Persian Invasion, and it was developed to safeguard Ancient Greece from the Persians. They had come close to being conquered by the Persians and rather than feel relief, there were those who assumed the Persians would be back to try again.
What made Athens so successful?
This rise occurred largely due to its prominent location and control of key trading routes and leadership in the wars against Persia. While other Greek cities held more powerful armies, such as Sparta, Athens’ leadership proved attractive and helped pave the way for its influence.
Was Military important to Athens?
From the very beginning, the Athenians were compelled to fight for their new democracy. Their dramatic victories over the Boiotians and Chalkidians in 506 B.C. led many to attribute Athenian military success to their political system.
fifth century B.C.
In the fifth century B.C., Athens created the first great naval-based empire. For modern students of sea power, this almost accidental development provides valuable guidance in understanding both the utility of sea power and the dangers of overreliance on this one factor.
What was the Athenian navy like?
The fleet was made up of triremes, wooden warships that carried 170 rowers manning three banks of oars. The ships were 100-120 feet long and about 20 feet wide. At her peak, Athens had a fleet of 400 ships, a force requiring close to 80,000 men.
What was the Athenian navy called?
The Athenian navy employed an innovative ship design called the Trireme. Built for speed and agility and designed as an offensive weapon, the trireme allowed the ancient Greeks to destroy most of the Persian fleet and stop the western advance of the imperial Persian king.
How was the Athenian empire created?
In the years after 460, the Delian League became the Athenian Empire. From 460-454, the Athenians fought in Egypt against the Persians. They were defeated when Artaxerxes sent a large force against the Egyptians. That marked the beginnings of an Athenian Land Empire, which was to last a decade.
Which branch of the military did Athens invest its resources into?
What farsighted leader convinced the Athenians to invest their resources of precious metals in the navy and later led Athens during the great Persian invasion of Greece? Why were the Greeks able to defeat the Persian fleet in the battle of Salamis in 480 BCE?
Did Athens or Sparta have a strong navy?
Sparta was leader of an alliance of independent states that included most of the major land powers of the Peloponnese and central Greece, as well as the sea power Corinth. Thus, the Athenians had the stronger navy and the Spartans the stronger army.
To meet the enormous expenses of maintaining its powerful navy, democratic Athens gave wealthy citizens responsibility for financing and commanding the fleet. Known as trierarchs—literally, ship commanders—they bore the expenses of maintaining and repairing the ships, as well as recruiting and provisioning their crews.
What was the role of the Athenian navy?
Athens, as the largest, most popular and of course the most powerful polis of them all, was naturally to be the leader. Initially Athens asked for annual contributions of naval contingents or, if they’d rather, a sum of talents. The navies of Athens and her allies would patrol the Mediterranean, fending of pirates and protecting trade routes.
What did the navies of ancient Athens do?
The navies of Athens and her allies would patrol the Mediterranean, fending of pirates and protecting trade routes. Things went swimmingly at first, but over time Athens’ real intentions became apparent. Athens was out to create herself an empire, which the other members of the Delian League did not sign up for.
How did the Delian League make Athens stronger?
Eventually, when Athenians moved the league’s treasury stored at the Delos island to their city, the financial and military power centralized to one polis making Athens stronger. However, not every member was content with this power shift.
What kind of Navy did Sparta have before the Persian Wars?
Sparta became naturally uneasy at her traditional rival’s rise to power, but she remained quite powerless at sea for Athens’ navy had become so great since the Persian Wars. Sparta relied heavily on Corinth, which had the second best fleet in the Greek World. Yet even the second best was far inferior to Athens’.