Lords of the Sea is an excellent overview of ancient Hellene/Greek history which centers on their Golden Era. This book has interesting depictions and information about the Greek Navy - its various structures and some accounts of significant battles.I would recommend this book as a supplement to Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War.

A thoroughly fascinating account of the rise of the Athenian Navy, and Athens during the Golden Age. Every paragraph is teeming with information, analysis and new research that Dr. Hale weaves together into a beautifully written tale that I found impossible to put down.
Dr. Hale is clearly an expert on the subject and his enthusiasm and love for history and archaeology are unparalleled. If you're looking for the most interesting and up-to-date historical information on Ancient Athens - this is your book!

Although I have read a good deal of military history in the past 35 years, I was almost did not try this book. Some good books have come out lately retelling stories of well known naval campaigns from a different emphasis and I was not ready for another one of those trying to make a whole book out of Salamis. But most of the material in this book was totally new to me. Yes, the battle of Salamis and its far-reaching influence on the development of western civilization is well known. But of the naval battle that immediately preceded it, I was largely ignorant. And after Xerxes' invasion, when you think the climax of the book would have already come, you aren't even half-way through the book. It goes on to describe many naval and combined naval-marine campaigns in detail, most of which were new to me. And it brings to life briefly many accomplished Greek fleet commanders who were new to me, also. You circle through the eastern Mediterranean from Salamis to Macedon, to Byzantium, to Sinope, down the cost of Asia Minor, up the Nile through Lower Egypt, across to Sicily, up to Corfu, and through the Peloponnese back to Athens. In the process the Author covers many aspects beyond the battles and the tactics such as ship construction, the place of the sailors in society, emancipation of slaves through naval service, the trophies and use of the proceeds of naval supremacy. The book has good maps and other illustrations. The Author, although an Academic, wrote a very readable and entertaining book. It was actually a joy to read. I first purchased the MP3 recording to listen to while exercising but I hadn't quite finished it before I had to purchase the hard back: not only to more comprehensively read the story, but where else are you going to find a map of the battle of Goat River? Having given a few other recent books a "5", I would have given this one a "7" if I could have.

My compliments also to Amazon.com for advertising the book and the MP3 recording well before their release. I waited until I saw the first few reviews posted before I thought it was a good bet. I hope this review in turn encourages someone else to plunge into the Aegean.

John Hale has set himself an ambitious goal to chronicle the history of the Athenian Navy from the days of the Persian Wars until the final surrender to the Macedonians. This is a mighty task and for the most part, Hale is up to the challange. John Hale is a naval archaeologist who has dedicated a long and productive career to the study of the Greek and Roman maritime world. Not only a serious scholar, Hale is also a gifted writer with a talent for vividly resurrecting a long gone world.

My only criticism is that Hale has bitten off too much history to condense into one volume. The role of the
Athenian Navy in the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War and the rise of Alexander the Great are all worthy of individual books. I wish that Hale had followed the example of Donald Kagan who wrote a multi-volume history of the Peloponnesian War. One can only hope that such an engaging writer will in the future go back and tell the story of the rise and fall of the Athenian Navy in a more measured way.

Lords of the Sea is a historical tome that reads like a novel. More than dry history, this book moves along keeping the reader interested. You don't need to be a history fanatic to make sense of the story. It pulls you along from start to finish. Rather than dissecting each point of history, more than one plot goes on at a time keeping the reader interested like a good mystery. It is from the wars between Persia and Greece that East became East and West became our Western Civilization.


For people with absolutely no background in the subject of Ancient Greece, there is a 33 page Introduction at the beginning of the book that explains when it all took place.

After 7 years of research this book has finally hit the shelves and it does not disappoint. In re-telling the history of warfare in Athens through a look at their mastery of the sea and the death of that navy. The story is one that is easy to follow for even one just starting to look at ancient warfare and is a must for any collection.

I gave John Hale's "Lords of the Sea" 5 stars only because this format doesn't allow for more than five. In "Lords of the Sea" Hale provides a different and facinating perspective into ancient Athens in a remarkably well written book that I found genuinely fun to read. This is a work that both the casual reader and the serious historian will enjoy. Although I've read everyone from Thucydides, my favorite, to Kagan and Hanson, this book is different. Examining the development of Athenian democracy through its relationship with its sea power is an interesting concept. I believe this book will provide a counterpoint to the many other excellent works available. This is a must read for any student of the classical world.

The author, John Hale, a prominent archaeologist and historian, has achieved his monumental life's work with Lords of the Sea. Hale's work is bound to become a classic. I strongly recommend the audio version.

Epic historical accounts tend to be most enthralling in audio format. Even the visual documentary medium, probably the most powerful medium, cannot accomplish what audio can in a case such as this.

The reader is David Drummond. No reader prepares more thoroughly than Drummond; his understanding comes close to that of the author.

The story of the Athenian navy and how it created the Athenian Golden Age is filled with timeless instruction and meaning because human nature has not changed since then. Hale explains how the Athenians had their own "Great Generation" and how their brilliance, problem-solving skills and dash created widely distributed prosperity.

Hale's treatment of the Persians and the Greco-Persian wars is fair and shows how the Greeks understood that the Persians were determined and skilled in the pursuit of empire. Further, the famous Golden Age really only lasted for 19 years, from the end of the Persian Wars in 448 BC to the death of Pericles in 429 BC. That's because the short-lived Golden Age was succeeded by the Peloponnesian War.

There were three prerequisite conditions for Athens to achieve empire status.

One was economic and involved silver. The city-state of Athens collectively owned the most productive set of silver mines of their day at a place called Laurium. These mines famously funded the building of their warships, called triremes. Lords of the Sea makes the important point is that a world-class navy is capital intensive and must be funded by national treasure. Further, a navy requires continuous operation, practice and maintenance in peace times and is therefore extremely costly at all times. The least costly time was winter when triremes were dry-docked in boat sheds, gear tended to and hundreds of security personnel provided physical security.

Athenian silver made fleet construction possible, and the navy provided thousands of highly sought-after jobs offering decent pay, adventure and status. One had to prove Athenian citizenship before a special board for the privilege to be a sailor. Considering the dangers, physical hardships and perianal hematoma experienced by the sailors, it seems remarkable today that these positions were so highly sought-after.

The second prerequisite condition had to do with Athenian character, being both thinkers and men of action (it was a male dominated culture). Pericles was quoted as saying, "We cultivate refinement without extravagance and knowledge without effeminacy." They loved innovation and were quick to commit physical and intellectual energy to projects, especially when in the service of their country. This was important because triremes were the most technically advanced product that one could attempt to manufacture.

The third prerequisite condition was the perennial threat the Persians provided to Athens in particular that galvanized the citizenry to put such resources into a navy. Athenians knew they could not build walls to stop the Persians. Logically, they faced eventual conquest and destruction or they could cooperatively try to stop the Persians in the sea.

Lords of the Sea describes the benefits and challenges of being a naval empire. Alliances were made to bring in tribute to finance a navy. Every violent dispute all over the Mediterranean and Black Sea beckoned the Athenians to pick a side, provide protection and collect tribute in the form of silver, additional triremes or other goods. Foreign policy became complex as the empire quickly expanded.

But mastery of the sea provided innumerable benefits, including prized fish such as bluefin tuna, wheat from areas bordering the Black Sea, African ivory, spices from the east and all sorts of crafted and luxury items. The naval complex produced economic stimulus that spawned all sorts of service jobs and a strong economy.

Domestic policy became more complex. Athenians actually engaged the first ever urban planners for service throughout the empire. Care was taken to ensure that each house built along a downward sloping hill would have its own unobstructed view of the sea. In some places, grid street systems were implemented.

Of course, hubris emerged as it always does when prosperity arrives in such measure and speed. The cost in lives and treasure of the Peloponnesian War signaled an end to the short-lived Golden Age. Athenians promoted democracy wherever they could, often choosing to garrison troops in diverse cities, only to later withdraw the troops and have cities return to oligarchic rule. They over-extended themselves and created resentment among their allies when they acted unilaterally.

Finally, the Athenians elected less experienced leaders based on charisma and populist appeal, and these leaders took a much more aggressive approach to war, thereby abandoning the thoughtful diplomacy of earlier leaders. Eventually the tribute dried up, they actually declined victory in the Peloponnesian War when Sparta sued for peace and ending up losing the war and empire. The world's first democracy ended in disaster in large part because elections produced irresponsible leaders that were gifted with little other than swagger.

The fact that all this happened in the 5th century BC makes this work particularly instructive. Throughout the story the listener is amazed at how hard it has always been to rise above in this world. The only lucky break the Athenians got was the silver mines at Laurium. The story is one of constant battles with a 19-year period of prosperity, peace, great happiness and the flourishing of the arts. We know this as the Golden Age but it might accurately be called the Golden 19 Years.

Throughout Lords of the Sea are lessons and meanings relevant to our time. Of course, differences are easy to spot. Nobody today would think oar rowing aboard a trireme was a good job, and the getting of such a job would not be dependent on proof of citizenship. But the mistakes the first democracy rushed into bear some resemblance to mistakes made in recent times. We remain vulnerable to hubris.

Don't let anyone convince you otherwise, Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy by John Hale is a well written, well researched and thoughtful presentation relating to the history of Athens. While certainly fitting for academic circles, I believe that Mr. Hale has written this book for the interested amateur, someone like myself. While I've read extensively about Sparta and the Spartan culture, Hale's book is a departure for me, and a good one at that.

One of Hale's initial points is that the development of the Athenian Navy had far reaching, and in some cases unexpected results. All society's at this time were made up of usually very sharply defined classes. Athenian society was no exception. The lowest class in Athens was the Thetes. Themistocles' plan was pretty simple, at least at first blush. A fleet of triremes would be built using windfall silver available to Athens. One hundred triremes would require seventeen thousand oarsmen. Who would pull the oars of these warships? Slaves? Captives? Themistocles was a smart man. Let the Thetes pull the oars. This would employ the lowest citizens in the class structure, effectively injecting money into a class level that had never really known such income. The original "trickle down" theory! And it worked.

Hale makes clear that Themistocles was no slouch when it came to political planning. Rightfully called the father of the Athenian Navy, his foresight set Athens on the road to greatness placing the Navy at the center of their culture. It would be for others to keep it there. For a time it seemed as though Athens sphere of influence would continue to grow unhindered. However, in the end the burden of their "foreign policy" became too much to sustain. Perhaps there is a lesson for others to learn from.

Hale's examination of the Athenian Navy and its impact on Athenian society is certainly worth the reading. From the victories at the battles of Artemisium and Salamis to the humiliation at Amorgos, Hale's investigation appears to be complete, at least to this untrained eye. However, Hale looks beyond the battles. He investigates the interaction between the power players of the day but never allows the reader to lose sight of the fact that it is the Athenian Navy the rules the seas at the end of the day. An early version of the "big stick" policy. Very insightful.

Lords of the Sea, at 318 pages of text is a demanding but rewarding read. The book does seem to bog down when one admiral and one battle after another marches by, but that is typical of books of this type. This fact is not a major minus to this book and may be a plus to some readers. Also provided are a Chronology, a very helpful Glossary, and the very valuable Notes on Sources.

Lords of the Sea is a superior investigation into the Athenians and is highly recommended.