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.
#1966620 in Books 2012-01-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 1.10 x 9.30l; 1.50 #File Name: 019538864X384 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A fascinating but complex storyBy JPSFirst posted on .co.uk on 3 February 2012Contrary to what its title may suggest; this book is about BIG warships; rather than about the Hellenistic navies per se. The story it tells is a fascinating one; even if general readers that do not have a particular interest in naval archeology or warships in Antiquity may become a bit dismayed or even bored by the first 60-70 pages; and its detailed discussion about frontal ramming. These first few chapters may seem tedious to some; although reading them is essential to understand the important points that the author has to make.I found this book very valuable because the author does provide some plausible answers to several questions that I have been wondering about for a while; such as:- why were the Athenians beaten in naval battles at Syracuse in 413 BC and then crushed with such apparent ease by the Macedonians in 322 BC?- where did this big ship phenomenon really originate from and why did it catch on so much among the Diadochoi?- what were the purposes of these ships and were they really effective?- why did it really disappear after Actium?As William Murray makes out; the traditional explanation for having such ships and explaining the "naval arms race" betwen the Diadochoi what a mixture of prestige and belief that these larger ships gave their owner an overwhelming advantage in set piece naval battles. Murray's merit is to show; based on the historical evidence; that the reality is both somewhat different and much more complex than that.Another merit of this book is to show the limits of our knowledge regarding these Titans and the reasons for these limits. Since the phenemenon disappeared and was disparaged by the Romans ownwards; starting with Augustus; many or even most of the sources that mention them fail to show precisely how these super-warships were built and operated. In addition; some of what has been preserved (such as summaries of Ancient authors' done during the 9th century by the Byzantines) is often misleading and confusing. So; while we know how warships called "fours" and "fives" were; and how there rowers were disposed; there is uncertainty for anything larger. For instance; was a "six" made up with two or three banks of oars on either side with three (or two) rowers per oar? Alternatively; did a "six" mean six rowers per side; with a similar meaning as for a four or a five; or did it mean six rowers per oar; which would have meant a much wider ship and a hugely expensive one?One issue is the author's tendancy to be repetitive; as he feels obliged to almost systematically summarize the points he has just made over the past few pages. You may feel that the points made; however interesting they may be; are being somewhat belabored and you may find this mildly annoying (At times; I caught myself thinking something along the lines "come on; get on with it!").Anyway; this book is well worth reading because it is so much of an "eye-opener"; despite being somewhat "technical"...6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Nose to NoseBy P. WeiserThis book presents (IMHO) a fascinating theory of why the really big ships - much bigger than a five (quinquereme) - were worth the tremendous cost and engineering investment. Included is a lesser theory on why a five was superior to a trireme; and a reconstruction of the Battle of Actium based on how fives and other mid-size galleys operated.Some aspects of the work seem a bit far-fetched; and some questions can only be answered by building a full-scale five and pitting it against the extant full-scale trireme head-to-head with real stones; javelins; arrows and flaming ballista bolts... which will not happen in this world short of "Hunger Games." But this reasonably well-supported speculation is; as noted; fascinating and worth the read. Convincing? Not perfectly; but some of the ideas are surely correct.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Big BoatsBy KathrynDThis new release; by one of the leading experts on naval power in the ancient Mediterranean world; opens up for the educated reader an aspect of ancient warfare that in the past has been mostly speculation based on primary literary sources. Thanks to long; patient research; and technological breakthroughs like 3-D imaging; ultrasound; and advances in underwater archaeology; Professor Murray brings the realities of ancient naval battles to vivd life. A fascinating read; with numerous excellent tables; charts; diagrams and other illustrations; this is must-have for anyone interested in naval power -- of any age.
