This book is an indispensable resource for readers who want to know the whole, comprehensive story of ancient naval warfare.The Blood-Drenched Sea describes all the naval battles and wars fought in the ancient Mediterranean. In one volume are the ships, crews, and leaders who determined the course of ancient history, along with the wars and battles, told through artifacts, extant literary and visual sources, and modern reconstructions-the Egyptian mortuary temple, the Minoan domain, the legendary sack of Troy, the expansion of Greeks throughout the Mediterranean, the Athenian victory over the Persians at Salamis, and the Athenian empire, ruined by one moment of superstition.Then the Romans learned how to build ships, man them, row in tiers, and command fleets, and the volume recounts their contributions to history as well. They fought three wars with Carthage that cost them hundreds of thousands of casualties and expenditures of vast wealth, and they conquered the whole of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Julius Caesar expanded the empire with the conquest of Gaul and the invasion of Britain, and his adoptive son, Octavian settled the question of who would rule the new empire by winning the naval battle at Actium.

Includes valuable maps and illustrations

Maps and IllustrationsPreface: Wars at SeaIntroduction: The Blue on the MapPart One Turmoil in the Eastern MediterraneanChapter 1 The First to Risk Their Lives upon the WaterChapter 2 The Minoans and the First "Thalassocracy"Chapter 3 The Collapse of CivilizationChapter 4 The Assault on EgyptChapter 5 Greek Colonization in the EastPart Two The Spread of HellenismChapter 6 How to Build a Boat in the Eighth Century BCEChapter 7 Greek Colonization in the WestChapter 8 A Typical Foundation StoryChapter 9 RammingChapter 10 The TriremeChapter 11 Polycrates: King, Tyrant, PiratePart Three The Persian WarsChapter 12 Darius and the GreeksChapter 13 The First Naval Assault on AthensChapter 14 "Flee to the Ends of the Earth"Chapter 15 "Pray to the Winds"Chapter 16 "Brave Sons of Greece, Advance!"Chapter 17 "Lead the Army"Part Four The Peloponnesian WarsChapter 18 Yoke MatesChapter 19 "A Bad Day for Greece"Chapter 20 The Strong Do What They WantChapter 21 "Thrice Nine Days"Chapter 22 Athens at BayPart Five The Rise of SuperpowersChapter 23 Hanging by a ThreadChapter 24 Conon the AthenianChapter 25 Giant Men, Giant ShipsPart Six The Roman DominationChapter 26 Rowing on LandChapter 27 Sacred ChickensChapter 28 The First Illyrian War, 229-228 BCEChapter 29 A Different Kind of WarChapter 30 The First Macedonian WarChapter 31 Greeks Will Be FreeChapter 32 Thirst for GoldPart Seven The Roman EmpireChapter 33 I Shall Crucify YouChapter 34 Three Million Killed, Enslaved, PacifiedChapter 35 Son of a GodChapter 36 The Long PeaceChapter 37 Decline and FallConclusionNotesClassical Sources Cited and/or Translated (by the Author)BibliographyIndex