The Battle of Arginusae: Victory at Sea and Its Tragic Aftermath in the Final Years of the Peloponnesian War (Witness to Ancient History), by Debra Hamel
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The Battle of Arginusae: Victory at Sea and Its Tragic Aftermath in the Final Years of the Peloponnesian War (Witness to Ancient History), by Debra Hamel
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A pivotal skirmish involving nearly three hundred Athenian and Spartan ships toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, the Battle of Arginusae was at the time the largest naval battle ever fought between warring Greeks. It was a crucial win for the Athenians, since losing the battle would have led to their total defeat by Sparta and, perhaps, the slaughter and enslavement of their entire population. Paradoxically, the win at Arginusae resulted in one of the worst disasters to befall the Athenians during the brutal twenty-seven-year war.
Due to a combination of factors―incompetent leadership, the weariness of the sailors, a sudden storm―the commanders on the scene failed to rescue the crews of twenty-five Athenian ships that had been disabled during the battle. Thousands of men, many of them injured, were left clinging to the wreckage of their ships awaiting help that never came. When the Athenians back home heard what had happened, they deposed the eight generals who had been in command during the battle. Two of these leaders went into exile; the six who returned to Athens were tried and eventually executed.
The Battle of Arginusae describes the violent battle and its horrible aftermath. Debra Hamel introduces readers to Athens and Sparta, the two thriving superpowers of the fifth century B.C. She provides a summary of the events that caused the long war and discusses the tactical intricacies of Greek naval warfare. Recreating the claustrophobic, unhygienic conditions in which the ships’ crews operated, Hamel unfolds the process that turned this naval victory into one of the most infamous chapters in the city-state’s history. Aimed at classics students and general readers, the book also provides an in-depth examination of the fraught relationship between Athens’ military commanders and its vaunted sovereign democracy.
The Battle of Arginusae: Victory at Sea and Its Tragic Aftermath in the Final Years of the Peloponnesian War (Witness to Ancient History), by Debra Hamel- Amazon Sales Rank: #829584 in Books
- Published on: 2015-05-21
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .38" w x 6.00" l, .38 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 152 pages
Review
A captivating account of the battle of Arginusae and its fateful consequences for the Athenians in their great struggle with Sparta. Hamel is well-versed in Greek (and Athenian) history of the classical era and is an authority on the Athenian strategia, the board of generals who commanded armies and fleets. The Battle of Arginusae is a gripping read.
(Lawrence A. Tritle, Loyola Marymount University, author of A New History of the Peloponnesian War)Hamel combines hip writing for the general reader with a scholar's ability to size up the sources of our knowledge of the past.
(Tim Morris Lection)About the Author
Debra Hamel is the author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan’s Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece and Reading Herodotus: A Guided Tour through the Wild Boars, Dancing Suitors, and Crazy Tyrants of The History.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Last victory and the execution of the Victors By JPS This is a short (93 pages for the main text), but excellent and fascinating little monograph on the naval battle of Arginusae that took place in 406 BC. This was the largest naval encounter of the whole Peloponnesian war (to use the accepted term) and the last Athenian victory. It is also about his rather dramatic and horrific aftermath during which six of the eight generals which took part in it were executed after a rather abnormal (although not illegal) “trial”.The monograph is well structured, with a first chapter “setting the stage” and summarising events from the Persian Wars up to the eve of the battle itself. The second chapter provides context and the basics of Greek naval warfare with a short but complete and accurate summary of the characteristics, performances and limitations of triremes, and the tactics used in naval encounters. The next chapter presents the battle itself. It is perhaps one of the most impressive of the whole book, with a thorough discussion of the sources (Xenophon and Diodorus) and a very plausible and likely scenario of what may have happened. It also explains clearly why the Athenians won “hands down” and against the odds, that is despite having the less experienced crews and a fleet that had been scrapped together in just about a month. It also discusses the immediate aftermath of the battle, and, in particular, the collection of the corpses.The fourth chapter, once again and like the second chapter, provides context and background. This time, the background is a neat summary of the main stages of the Athenian democracy and of Athenian institutions, and how the Athenian democracy controlled and held to account their generals, at the risk of constraining their performances. This is the prequel for the second stage: the tribunals in front of which six out of the eight victorious Athenian generals, including the son of Pericles (who bore the same name) were accused, condemned to death, and executed.The epilogue contains a short but interesting discussion where two main points are made. The author claims (and it is difficult to disagree) that these executions simply had no effect on the war whatsoever. This was because Spartans and their allies, thanks to Persian financial support, could replenish any losses, build new fleets and therefore afford major defeats, while Athens simply could not. The second point is perhaps more controversial. The author reiterate her claim that, however shocking the verdict and the procedure followed may seem to us nowadays, the demos was sovereign and could therefore condemn all six generals collectively without allowing them to defend themselves through separate trials. In other words, it was not illegal. Rather, it was a huge mistake. Just like the decision to execute the whole population of Mytilene or the execution of Socrates, the demos regretted – rather late - the fatal mistake.Finally, the author concludes that these were the only mistakes made and that this cannot suffice to condemn the “fickle mob rule” that some have portrayed the Athenian democracy to be. Instead, it should be seen as an “outstanding accomplishment” and that “the Athenians arguably governed themselves and, eventually, their empire well.This is where the author becomes unfortunately less convincing and somewhat controversial. While the accusations levied against some of the excesses of the Athenian democracy are somewhat excessive, it is, to say the least, somewhat difficult to argue that all was “sweetness and light”.The way the Athenians transformed their allies of the Delian League into subjects and repressed – rather savagely in modern terms – those who wanted to leave the League does not exactly support her claims. For instance, while the population of Mytilene was indeed saved from being massacred at the (literally) last minutes, there was no redemption for that of Milos or a number of other cities and islands who had the nerve to believe they were free to choose whether to belong to or to leave the Delian League. Also slightly grating, at times, is the author’s tendency to use anachronisms and “popular” terms in an obvious and somewhat patronising effort to reach out to the so-called “general reader”. So, for instance, a trireme gets compared to a missile and the Athenian Demos gets defined the “mob of regular Joes who make up the bulk of the citizenry”…Four strong stars, and, if you want to know how the Athenians won against the odds and ended up by executing their victorious generals, read the book! It is well worth it, despite the somewhat controversial last pages.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. History, as we live it, never feels preordained ... By Lisa McKenzie History, as we live it, never feels preordained. Events could go one way or another, and even in our current era of constant information, the full ramifications of any one outcome are rarely predictable. You can win a decisive battle, yet lose the hearts and minds of your people.History, as Deb Hamel writes it, never feels preordained; she allows her reader to get a squeamish feeling that things will not end well, while honoring and preserving the suspense inherent in the events that she describes, often forcing her readers to place themselves in the uncomfortable predicaments of those destined to become historical footnotes.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. So so book, but good product by the manufacturer and rapidly delivered. By chuckju Excellent product, rapidly delivered.If you want to know about the battle, this only has about 4 pages.Better to read Xenophon or Diodorus.
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