book review Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World

[tlevine]

Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World is written by Owen Rees, an editor for the digital magazine My History Digest.  He is also the author of the book Great Battles of the Classical Greek World.  Published in 2018, this book focuses on Greek naval history during the period 394-494 BC.  The book starts with a basic introduction to the vessels and military tactics utilized by the warring countries of the Mediterranean Sea and Persia during this era. 

  

The sections, representing the major areas of conflict, are then broken down into individual battles.  The reader is provided with historical background for the battle, followed by a description of the battle itself and its consequences.  Maps are included to illustrate the troop locations and movements.  There are also maps of Greece and the Aegean Sea and Sicily.  The book would have benefited from the addition of maps of the entire eastern Mediterranean and Middle East/Asia Minor as well as the inclusion of modern names for the locations some of the ancient cities and civilizations.

 

The author is passionate about ancient Greek military history, both on land and sea and almost 40 pages of references and suggested readings are provided.  Unfortunately, he also assumes the reader is knowledgeable of the history of ancient Greece and Asia Minor and the relationships among the various cities on the Greek peninsula.  Without that knowledge, it is difficult to follow the background descriptions preceding the battles.

 

In summary, Great Naval Battles is an academic book which describes the Greek naval battles of the fifth century BC, including the circumstances which led to battle, the troops and ships involved and the consequences of the actions.  It is available from Pen and Sword Books www.pen-and-sword.co.uk in both print and Kindle formats.