Customer Reviews

Greek and Roman Naval Warfare: A Study of Strategy, Tactics, and Ship Design from Salamis (480 B.C.) to Actium (31 B.C.)

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I received this book as a birthday present eight years ago. Knowing nothing about the subject, it served as an indispensible introduction to the subject of naval warfare in classical antiquity. The book is well written and provides enough information to satisfy more knowledgable readers without overwhelming the novice. Line drawings of representative ship types from each period, black and white photographs, maps, and diagrams of key battles further enhace the author's clear writing style. Overall, this is an excellent book and still the best English-language treatment of the subject, over sixty years since it was first published. Also highly recommended is the superb companion volume, "Naval Warfare Under Oars", also by Adm. Rodgers, which picks up after the battle of Actium and carries the subject through to the battle of Lepanto in 1571.

It has it's limitations in that it almost entirely relies upon ancient sources for it's conclusions, and not much on Archaeology or [obviously] modern scholarship.

It's age is one of it's virtues, however. It was written at a time when Classical scholarship was much less specialized and narrow, and allowed for a more general and sweeping overview of a fascinating and immensely important subject.

I disagree with one reviewer's complaints about Rodgers' criticism of Herodotus. He was, in many ways, a purveyor of legends and fanciful tall tales. Especially when you compare his historical skills to the great Greek historians who came later such as Thyucidides and Polybius. And thank God for Both Thyucidides and Polybius. Especially Thyucidides who is our most reliable ancient source for Classical Greek naval tactics. [Along with Xenophon].

And without Polybius, we would have almost no reliable record [other than the often suspect Diodorus]of the very overlooked, but immensely important and history changing First Punic War. Arguably, the First Punic War was the most important war in Western history because, as a result of it's occurrnce, Rome became the most powerful naval power in the Mediterranean by defeating one of the most powerful Hellenistic naval powers of the time, Carthage, on it's own turf. Thus, setting the stage for all of Rome's future expansion.

This is a great book to start with, if you are interested in Ancient Mediterranean naval warfare. And it's written by a person in a position to know and understand the practicalities of what the ancient sources have reported. Another lost tradition of modern scholarship. It's better to have a well-written and reserached general overview of ancient naval warfare written by an Admiral, than it is, sometimes, to have a narrow treatise written by an academic sitting in a dusty cubicle.

At least that's my opinion.

If you can buy no other book on the subject, buy this. I have a shelf-load of others, but this is the key. Control of the seas was often a core policy to the Mediterranean nations. How they fought or could fight at sea determined the course of history.
Adm. Rodgers writes in the non-fiction style of the early 20th century: no gobbledegook, no unnecessary jargon, no convolutions just to look impressive. Neither does he feel he has to be boring to be scholarly.
The book is completely accessible to a beginner who is willing to look up the basics of ship terminology, and not much of that. Yet the subjects glide into such depth, in areas glossed over by most other writers, that even the long-term aficionado will find new information. You will keep it handy for its many technical references. As well, the old-timer may find that Rodger's cogent arguments explode many common myths about the ancient ships found in scores of other "authoritative" books.
Coming from the time he did, Rodgers had access to information that seems to have been lost from being ignored by motor-sailors. This includes the energy output of a rower and a familiarity with the standard speeds of rowed and wind-powered traditional vessels. As a result, his analyses of the ancient texts has both depth and practicality. He is not guessing at figures or building triremes in the clouds.
On top of this, Rodgers was simply brilliant in his visualizations of ancient sea fights. His unpacking of the Roman propaganda about the Egyptian fleet at Actium is alone worth the price of the book.
Be sure to get his follow-up, Medieval Warfare Under Oars. If you would like a similar suddenly-real analysis of many land battles and armies, try Hans Delbruck's History of the Art of War (4 volumes). That one is not beginner-accessible, but once you have the basics you will enjoy it.

If you can buy no other book on the subject, buy this. I have a shelf-load of others, but this is the key. Control of the seas was often a core policy to the Mediterranean nations. How they fought or could fight at sea determined the course of history.
Adm. Rodgers writes in the non-fiction style of the early 20th century: no gobbledegook, no unnecessary jargon, no convolutions just to look impressive. Neither does he feel he has to be boring to be scholarly.
The book is completely accessible to a beginner who is willing to look up the basics of ship terminology, and not much of that. Yet the subjects glide into such depth, in areas glossed over by most other writers, that even the long-term aficionado will find new information. You will keep it handy for its many technical references. As well, the old-timer may find that Rodger's cogent arguments explode many common myths about the ancient ships found in scores of other "authoritative" books.
Coming from the time he did, Rodgers had access to information that seems to have been lost from being ignored by motor-sailors. This includes the energy output of a rower and a familiarity with the standard speeds of rowed and wind-powered traditional vessels. As a result, his analyses of the ancient texts has both depth and practicality. He is not guessing at figures or building triremes in the clouds.
On top of this, Rodgers was simply brilliant in his visualizations of ancient sea fights. His unpacking of the Roman propaganda about the Egyptian fleet at Actium is alone worth the price of the book.
Be sure to get his follow-up, Medieval Warfare Under Oars. If you would like a similar suddenly-real analysis of many land battles and armies, try Hans Delbruck's History of the Art of War (4 volumes). That one is not beginner-accessible, but once you have the basics you will enjoy it.

Written in the looming shadow of world war, this amazing work is if anything more relevant today than it was in 1937. This is so because the United States today depends to an ever-increasing degree on the ocean transport of vital energy supplies and manufactured goods. It is thus no accident that the U.S. has the world's largest navy, by far, one that makes its presence felt around the globe. Author Rodgers in this amazing work links sea power to national power and brings the naval campaigns of Greece and Rome into sharp focus, at all levels, from the grand strategical down to the individual oarsman. This book is a must for any affectionado of naval history. **

Although this book was first published in 1937 and many of its references may be a bit dated it still offers a novice in this field of history and enjoyable and interesting read. The author, a retired Vice Admiral (USN), tells a great story using numerous primary and secondary sources available to the historian at that time.

The book covers the history of naval warfare; weapons, tactics, and strategy in a general manner that is very easy to read and understand and quite engaging. The book covers the period from the Greco-Persian War in the early part of the fifth century B.C. to the battle of Actium in 31 B.C. covering all the major battles and campaigns that occurred during this era.

We read of all those famous engagements, and some lesser know battles, between the Greeks and Persians, between Athens and Sparta, and the many Roman encounters with Carthage and the Roman expansion into the Mediterranean world.

The book offers the reader 540 pages of text with a number of maps and line drawings offering details of the fighting ships in use at the time. Overall I would recommend this title to anyone who has a love for this period of history or who just enjoys a good history book, but keep in mind that it was published before the Second World War.

An interesting book when it comes to sailing, although the author has no knowledge of the sea and the terrain of Ancient Greece and Italy. Avoid it if you are interested in naval history and naval warfare. Living in these lands makes this book look like an anti Greek propaganda.