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Hellenistic and Roman Naval Warfare 336 BC–31 BC
An important but neglected aspect of classical warfare that covers technological, strategic and tactical developments from Alexander to the battle of Actium.
The period covered in this book is well known for its epic battles and grand campaigns of territorial conquest, but Hellenistic monarchies, Carthaginians, and the rapacious Roman Republic were scarcely less active at sea. Huge resources were poured into maintaining fleets not only as symbols of prestige but as means of projecting real military power across the Mediterranean arena.
Taking the period between Alexander the Great's conquests and the Battle of Actium, John Grainger analyzes the developments in naval technology and tactics, the uses and limitations of sea power and the differing strategies of the various powers. He shows, for example, how the Rhodians and the Romans eschewed the ever-larger monster galleys favored by most Hellenistic monarchs in favor of smaller vessels. This is a fascinating study of a neglected aspect of ancient warfare.
The period covered in this book is well known for its epic battles and grand campaigns of territorial conquest, but Hellenistic monarchies, Carthaginians, and the rapacious Roman Republic were scarcely less active at sea. Huge resources were poured into maintaining fleets not only as symbols of prestige but as means of projecting real military power across the Mediterranean arena.
Taking the period between Alexander the Great's conquests and the Battle of Actium, John Grainger analyzes the developments in naval technology and tactics, the uses and limitations of sea power and the differing strategies of the various powers. He shows, for example, how the Rhodians and the Romans eschewed the ever-larger monster galleys favored by most Hellenistic monarchs in favor of smaller vessels. This is a fascinating study of a neglected aspect of ancient warfare.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 20, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 15, 2022
Solid retelling of the ins-and-outs of the navies around the Mediterranean Sea for the specific period mentioned. (What it says on the tin, indeed.) I listened to the audiobook version, which isn't listed on Goodreads (and I'm too lazy to make a new listing.
The audiobook does relieve one of the tedium of going through all the detail, because it pushes you through. That said, you had better have a very good mental picture of the geography of the Mediterranean area, with the names of the areas as they were for that 300-year period. The print/e-book obviously has maps and similar visual aids (and if you're reading text, you can always look up the maps). I was generally listening while commuting, so I had to visualize it in my head. Modern names tend to be close to the ancient names, but not always. You need to know where the following places are, in general: Alexandria (the one in Egypt), Rhodes, Crete, Syracuse (in Sicily), Tarentum (aka Taranto), Carthage (located in a corner of what is now Tunisia), and more I'm forgetting.
The interesting bit to me, with the wrap-up at the end of the book, was the emphasis on how unimportant navies were in general to the powers of this period, and why that was. We're not used to that perspective, so that was interesting to understand (and also, how Rome gathered its fleets when it did want them for war.) There was also an unexpected bit about piracy and economics of slave markets. I did like the tracing of what happened to some of the important Greek islands as the Romans took over from the Macedonians.
Anyway, I do like these histories that take something that tends to be familiar (Hellenistic period/pre-imperial Rome) and comes at it from an unfamiliar-to-me angle. Even if the navies weren't necessarily crucial to winning specific wars, and were matters of prestige in various eras, it does help hearing about the practical problems of those trying to accomplish something via the "high tech weapons" of their day... which turned out not to be as effective as they wished. The super-huge ships were not maneuverable and were just for show - you could barely do anything with them other than parade.
The audiobook does relieve one of the tedium of going through all the detail, because it pushes you through. That said, you had better have a very good mental picture of the geography of the Mediterranean area, with the names of the areas as they were for that 300-year period. The print/e-book obviously has maps and similar visual aids (and if you're reading text, you can always look up the maps). I was generally listening while commuting, so I had to visualize it in my head. Modern names tend to be close to the ancient names, but not always. You need to know where the following places are, in general: Alexandria (the one in Egypt), Rhodes, Crete, Syracuse (in Sicily), Tarentum (aka Taranto), Carthage (located in a corner of what is now Tunisia), and more I'm forgetting.
The interesting bit to me, with the wrap-up at the end of the book, was the emphasis on how unimportant navies were in general to the powers of this period, and why that was. We're not used to that perspective, so that was interesting to understand (and also, how Rome gathered its fleets when it did want them for war.) There was also an unexpected bit about piracy and economics of slave markets. I did like the tracing of what happened to some of the important Greek islands as the Romans took over from the Macedonians.
Anyway, I do like these histories that take something that tends to be familiar (Hellenistic period/pre-imperial Rome) and comes at it from an unfamiliar-to-me angle. Even if the navies weren't necessarily crucial to winning specific wars, and were matters of prestige in various eras, it does help hearing about the practical problems of those trying to accomplish something via the "high tech weapons" of their day... which turned out not to be as effective as they wished. The super-huge ships were not maneuverable and were just for show - you could barely do anything with them other than parade.
June 4, 2022
After more than 30 years reading about ancient history, it's rare to find a book that gives so many new insights and clarity on the hellenistic period. The analysis on the role of navies in the period, it's use and limitations, the way they could project power and, in that sense, how that shaped the various powers actions is truly illuminating. It is also a clear, easy read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews