Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy, (Paperback)

from Chris_El

Fascinating book by someone who has studied the Athenian navy for forty years according to the preface. And yet, the book is very accessible vs being written for other scholars. This covers the history of Athens and to a lesser extent Sparta from the time of King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans vs ...

from charlie68

A great read following wily Greeks and more specifically Athenians, as they battle with triremes against, Spartans, Persians whoever, and they win more than they lose.

from nmele

John Hale's book is actually a history of the rise and fall of classical Athens framed by the story of the Athenian Navy. Hale tells this history clearly and well in a scant 300 pages, pretty impressive given that his story includes Thermopylae, Salamis, the building of the Long Walls, the Pelopo...

from Stbalbach

My readings in Ancient history are extremely limited but I had no trouble following this and staying absorbed. It's all new to me so I actually sort of loved the book, the author brought the period to life. Many famous people, battles and events a placed into a continuity of time that is easy to ...

from Scarchin

With "characters" like Sophocles, Socrates, Aristotle, Thucydides, Plato, Alexander the Great and many others, Hale takes what could be a dry history book and makes it a fascinating page turner. It also served as a reminder to me that the world has always been a crazy place.