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Lords of the Sea

February 4th, 2010 Tien

Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy by John R. Hale charts the development of Athenian sea power, staring with the creation of its massive navy in 483BC.  The commitment to sea power demanded ships, which demanded rowers, which in turn allowed Athenians of the lowest ranks to experience for the first time the drama of power and greatness.  This is the epic story; each chapter of the book chronicles the salient events of a few given years.

With so many battles to recount, Hale’s handling of the battle scenes is impressive.  I never felt bogged down in the details – partly because of the excellent writing, partly because Hale always highlights the individuals participating in the action.  In fact, almost every important character is given a life story, so that their actions can be understood as part of real personalities.  It’s hard to forget characters like the general Thormio, who maintained military discipline even when he was banished to a life of farming, and who schemed a return in his late fifties to win an astonishing victory against Sparta.

I think that Hale has done an admirable job imagining what the rowers might’ve seen and felt serving in the Athenian navy, even though ancient sources, as he explains, are scant on that kind of detail.  One memorable passage describes the exhilaration and wonderment that met the Athenians on their first entering into Egypt, where their fame had spread, but which none of them could ever have dreamed of seeing.  Elsewhere the author draws on his own experience with ships, to give us the view from the deck and from below, where it was cramped, dark and stifling – a physical contrast to dreams of glory.

At the end, Hale talks of the disappearance of civic harmony and of a “mysterious spiritual essence” from the people who surrendered to the Macedonians after a relatively minor defeat, while they were in fact still in command of an imposing number of ships.  I wanted Hale to speak a little more of the Athenian commoners – the democracy part of his story, some three fifths of the population – who were sent into exile in Thrace.  What had caused them to accept that fate, if their defeat, as he says, was not a foregone conclusion?  And what happened to them in their place of exile?  But it’s Hale’s method to give us only the facts and not to speculate – otherwise this could’ve been a very long book!

I recommend this book for anyone who’s interested in a fast-paced and still richly atmospheric telling of Athenian history.  Fans of the movie 300, which manages to synthesize an incredible amount of Greekness in an exciting story of action and adventure, won’t be disappointed either.  This book begins with that real battle at Thermopylae, and goes on to cover events that feature many more, equally picturesque, equally daring characters.

One final comment: If you’ve read Athenian dialogues and dramas, watch out for Hale’s imaginative incorporation of many well-known works.  In almost throw-away asides, he paints some fascinating portraits of the playwrights and philosophers, and gives compelling dates and contexts that explain their works as different responses to war and politics.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction