Welcome, crew. This is a temporarily unlocked member episode, open to everyone for the remainder of March since I was unable to record a regular episode this month. It will revert to subscriber-only access on April 1.

Today we depart slightly from a focused look at ships, and branch out to consider mythology that has some loose ties to ships. The Greek mythological king and hero Theseus of course slew the Minotaur, but today we explore the ties of that story, and others, to Athenian naval ambition. Later politicians like Pisistratus and Cimon used the myths of Theseus to help promote the spread of the Delian League, and today we consider this evolution. We also consider the myths, and ties they might have to sacred ships in Athenian history. We also discuss a philosophical question that is known as 'The Ship of Theseus,' although we really don't find any answers. But it's fun to think about.

Today we continue following the evolution and exploits of the Delian League. In the 450s BCE, they become embroiled in two theaters of conflict. The first saw them begin to more squarely meet Sparta and many other allied cities of the Peloponnesian League in what is called the First Peloponnesian War. At the same time, Athens and the Delian League answered the call of a rebel leader in Egypt and there the League got tangled up fighting Persia yet again. A siege at the White Castle (no, not that one) ensues, and in the end the Delian League suffers some pretty heavy losses in a foreign land.

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Now that we have witnessed the birth of the Delian League, in today's episode we trace their exploits in the 470s BCE. The league does a good job landing more blows against the Persian Empire, but at the same time they begin to more strongly resemble an empire, and some league members are not amused. A new military leader named Cimon emerges to lead the Delian League. He suppresses some piracy, and his trireme fleet is overhauled to more better suit their campaign objectives. We consider all of this, and more, as the Delian League's navy expands and then defeats a Persian fleet at the Battle of Eurymedon River.

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As we kick off Series 3, it's now time to examine one of the most recognizable institutions that existed in Ancient Greece: The Delian League. To make sense of things, we'll compare the Peloponnesian League and Sparta's motivations there, against the Hellenic League that was formed to stand against Persia's incursion. Then, against these two we will finally compare the Delian League, which emerges as a naval-centric league which formally kicks off the time when Athenian empire becomes possible.

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Today we bring our time with the Athenian leader Themistocles to a close. The character qualities we've seen throughout his career continue to pop up even in the later stages of his life. And although the Greek world continued on in his absence, today we'll try to follow him to his death in exile and see how his supporters and his detractors begin to use his legacy as a battleground for policies that will continue to influence Greece even after his death.

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The Greek victory at Salamis was monumental. But in the aftermath of that victory, Greece and her leaders still had many decisions to make. It is here that we begin to see a divergence between the naval-minded leaders and their vision, and the land-centered leaders with a different vision. We begin to discuss these divergent views, how they were debated in Greece, and how the leaders of each view tried to outmaneuver their opponents. Amidst the politics and debate, Greece still had to finish their war with Persia. We witness the conclusion, as battle comes to both Plataea and then to Mycale, where an unexpected final blow decimates the remainder of the Persian naval force.

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We have finally arrived at the Battle of Salamis. There's a lot of buildup before the battle, and surprisingly, this phase is where a lot of the important pieces were moved into place by the wily Themistocles. We witness scenes in both the Greek and Persian camps the day and night prior to the battle, but once the fleets have moved into position, we then witness the clashing ships and the mayhem of close-quarters battle. Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus makes several appearances throughout, and we conclude with a picture of the battle's aftermath and the resultant carnage.

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In this first of what will be ongoing mini-episodes, we examine the discovery and study of Ship 17 at the ancient Egyptian city of Thonis-Heracleion. After running through the history of this city and it's significance to maritime history, we then read a passage from Herodotus where he describes a baris ship that he saw during his tour of ancient Egypt. We conclude by looking at the archaeological work being done in Thonis-Heracleion by Franck Goddio and Alexandar Belov. Ship 17 in particular has been largely excavated, measured, and thoroughly studied. This rather large ancient Egyptian cargo vessel seems to almost entirely line up with the 'baris' passage from Herodotus, so Ship 17 appears to be the first baris ship to have been discovered in ancient Egypt.

Show Notes

http://maritimehistorypodcast.com/mini-ep-001---ship-17-at-thonis-heracleion/

• Belov, Alexandre, A new type of construction evidenced by Ship 17 of Heracleion-Thonis, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 43.2: 314-329, 2014.
• Belov, Alexandre, Archaeological evidence for the Egyptian baris (Herodotus, II.96), in Robinson, D. and Goddio, F. (eds.) Thonis-Heracleion in context: the maritime economy of the Egyptian Late Period, 189-204. Oxford.
• Belov, Alexandre, 2014, New Evidence for the Steering System of the Egyptian Baris (Herodotus 2.96). International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. Vol.43.1, pp.3-9. , 2014.
• Belov, Alexandre, 2016, New light on the construction of the Egyptian baris as per Herodotus' narrative (2.96). Египет и сопредельные страны / Egypt and neighbouring countries 1: 34-47., 2016.
• Belov, Alexandre, The Shipwrecks of Heracleion-Thonis: An Overview, in Belova, G. A. (ed.) Achievements and problems of modern Egyptology. Proceedings of the international conference. September 29-October 4, 2009, Moscow, 107-118. Moscow.
• Goddio, Franck, Sunken Civilizations: Heracleion.
• The Guardian, Nile shipwreck discovery proves Herodotus right – after 2,469 years, 17 March 2019.

In Part II of our look at the naval Battle of Artemisium, we finally get into the heat of battle. The episode is bookended by some trickery and psychological warfare courtesy of the inimitable Themistocles. In the middle, though, we discuss the 3 separate days and 3 separate engagements that made up the battle as a whole. Tactics, planning, chaos: we've got it all today. We've got yet another storm that makes an appearance, and this time it takes 200 Persian ships with it, making them victims of the infamous Hollows of Euboea.

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Today we open a chapter onto the naval Battle of Artemisium. We begin by considering a prophecy which illustrates the plight that Greece found herself in as the Persian army and navy entered Europe. We discuss the state of preparation in each relative camp as they made their respective preparations for the battle to come. We then discuss the regions in and around Artemisium and the island of Euboea, where the first naval battle of the war would take place. We consider the strategic advantages inherent in certain sites in the region, the theories about how large each navy would have been at this stage in history, and then we get into the opening moves of the chess game that would set up the conflict at Artemisium. A 'Hellesponter' makes an dramatic appearance, and we witness some mishaps at sea in Part One of our look at the naval Battle of Artemisium.

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