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 analysing the technical, tactical and strategic aspects of the war at sea. AUTHOR: Marc G. DeSantis is a historian and attorney who has written extensively on military historical subjects for such publications as Military History Quarterly, Ancient Warfare, and Military Heritage.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
ISBN-13
9781473861589
eBay Product ID (ePID)
233846983
Product Key Features
Author
Marc G. Desantis
Publication Name
A Naval History of the Peloponnesian War: Ships, Men and Money in the War at Sea, 431-404 BC
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Subject
Government, History
Publication Year
2017
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
261 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
234mm
Item Width
156mm
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Marc G. Desantis
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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