The Great King and the Sea: Maritime Trade and Naval Power in the Achaemenid Empire

At the beginning of the fifth century BCE, Achaemenid Persia had the largest navy in the world, but after its failed invasions of Greece, the empire limited its warships’ numbers and refused to maintain a standing fleet. While Classical Athens viewed naval power as a catalyst for maritime trade and the acquisition of wealth, the Persians found that excessive naval development strained their financial structures and interfered with their coastal subjects’ trade income. This lecture will explore the conflict between naval and economic interests in one of the ancient world’s first great empires.
John Hyland is Associate Professor of History at Christopher Newport University (Newport News, VA).

This event is sponsored by the the Ancient Mediterranean Studies program and the Ancient Borderlands Research Focus Group.

jwil 02.iii.2012