Athenian military

During the Greco-Persian Wars, Athens developed a large, powerful navy in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that defeated the even larger Persian Navy at the Battle of Salamis under Themistocles and then at the Battle of the Eurymedon under Cimon. The Athenian Navy consisted of 80,000 crewing 400 ships. The backbone of the navy's manpower was a core of professional rowers drawn from the lower classes of Athenian society. This gave the Athenian fleets an advantage in training over the less professional fleets of its rivals. The main warships of the fleet were the triremes. With its fleet, Athens obtained hegemony over the rest of the Greek city-states forming the Athenian Empire. Its fleet was destroyed and its empire lost during the Peloponnesian War. Athens regained some of its naval power after the Second Athenian League was rebuilt; however, it never fully recovered as its rivals were much stronger than before. The fleet included two sacred ships, the Paralus and the Salaminia used for diplomatic and ceremonial duties. == Hellenistic period ==

In 322 BC during the Lamian war, although fallen from the height of its power during the Golden Age of Pericles in the 5th century, Athens still had extensive financial resources at its disposal and a fleet numbering 240 or perhaps even 400 warships. == Major battles ==

• Battle of Ephesus (498 BC) • Battle of Marathon • Battle of Artemisium • Battle of Salamis • Battle of Plataea • Battle of Mykale • Battle of the Eurymedon • Battle of Papremis (460 BC) • Battles of Salamis-in-Cyprus • Battle of Mantinea (418 BC) • Sicilian Expedition • Battle of Arginusae • Battle of Aegospotami • Battle of Lechaeum • Battle of Mantinea (362 BC) • Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC) • Battle of Thermopylae (323 BC) • Siege of Lamia • Battle of Melitaea • Battle of Crannon • Battle of the Echinades (322 BC) • Battle of Amorgos • Siege of Athens (287 BC) • Siege of Athens and Piraeus (87–86 BC) == See also ==