After the siege of Skyros, Kimon put in at the Piraeus. There he arranged for repairs and general supplies, and added more triremes to his fleet. The existing ships were designed by Themistoklēs with a focus on speed and maneuverability; the new design of Kimon had a wider beam and he put bridges between the decks. He increased the capacity for carrying hoplites, assuming this would make the ships more… Read more
In 478 BCE, after Pausanias had been recalled from Byzantion, the leadership of the Hellenic League was taken over by the Athenian Kimon II. The remaining members of the Hellenic League, assembled in a council on Delos, decided to form an alliance led by Athens. The objective of this newly formed Delian League was the continuation of the counter-attack against the Persians, clearing the Aegean Sea of pirates, securing Athenian… Read more
The sacred triremes that are the subject of this post are the 5th and 4th century ships of Athens. They served in diplomatic missions, in sacred embassies, and took part in the boat races during festivals. They also served as scout and messenger ships, delivering official state messages, and when present in the line of battle they carried the admiral of the fleet. The Paralos was the most well-known. Read more
Three great battles—Mantinea (418 BCE), Leuctra (371 BCE), and Gaugamela (331 BCE)—demonstrate the development of Greek and Macedonian warfare from the simple hoplite phalanx employed by Greek farmers defending their fields, into the powerful, tactically flexible army which allowed Alexander the Great to conquer the Persian Empire. Read more
Welcome to the November session of the Book Club! This month we will be reading selections from Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War: Books 1 and 2. You can find the text for free online in translations by Benjamin Jowett, Thomas Hobbes, and Richard Crawley. Participants can start and continue the conversation in the forum, and we will meet via Google+ Hangout on Tuesday November 29 at 11 a.m. EST. Read more
