While we know a great deal about naval strategies in the classical Greek and later Roman periods, our understanding of the period in between-the Hellenistic Age-has never been as complete. However, thanks to new physical evidence discovered in the past half-century and the construction of Olympias, a full-scale working model of an Athenian trieres (trireme) by the Hellenic Navy during the 1980s, we now have new insights into the evolution of naval warfare
following the death of Alexander the Great. In what has been described as an ancient naval arms race, the successors of Alexander produced the largest warships of antiquity, some as long as 400 feet carrying as many as 4000 rowers and 3000 marines. Vast, impressive, and elaborate, these warships "of larger
form"-as described by Livy-were built not just to simply convey power but to secure specific strategic objectives. When these particular factors disappeared, this "Macedonian" model of naval power also faded away-that is, until Cleopatra and Mark Antony made one brief, extravagant attempt to reestablish it, an endeavor Octavian put an end to once and for all at the battle of Actium. Representing the fruits of more than thirty years of research, The Age of Titans provides the most
vibrant account to date of Hellenistic naval warfare.
- ISBN10 6613423742
- ISBN13 9786613423740
- Publish Date 9 December 2011
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 7 March 2012
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Not Avail
- Format eBook
- Pages 384
- Language English