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Ancient Greek Warship: 500–322 BC (New Vanguard) Paperback – March 27, 2007

by Nic Fields (Author), Peter Bull (Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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Formidable and sophisticated, triremes were the deadliest battleship of the ancient world, and at the height of their success, the Athenians were the dominant exponents of their devastating power. Primarily longships designed to fight under oar power, the trireme was built for lightness and strength; ship-timber was mostly softwoods such as poplar, pine and fir, while the oars and mast were made out of fir. Their main weapon was a bronze-plated ram situated at the prow.

From the combined Greek naval victory at Salamis (480 BC), through the Peloponnesian War, and up until the terrible defeat by the Macedonians at Amorgos, the Athenian trireme was an object of dread to its enemies.

This book offers a complete analysis and insight into the most potent battleship of its time; the weapon by which Athens achieved, maintained, and ultimately lost its power and prosperity.

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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    New Vanguard
  2. Print length
    48 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  5. Publication date
    March 27, 2007
  6. Dimensions
    7.29 x 0.14 x 9.49 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1846030749
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1846030741
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

New Vanguard

battlescenes

Cutaway diagrams

Photos

Full colour battlescenes

Beautifully illustrated battlescenes are included to bring the narrative of the conflict to life.

Cutaway diagrams

Specially commissioned full colour illustrations are included alongside labels and comprehensive captions to give a full breakdown of the machines and ships used in battle.

Photographs

Each volume features a wide range of photographs, which provide unparalleled detail of the uniforms and weaponry used by the combatants.

New Vanguard

Editorial Reviews

Review

“It is a fascinating look into the cutting edge of naval technology of the ancient Greeks and a book that will keep your interest from the first to the last page. One I can highly recommend.” ―Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com

About the Author

Dr Nic Fields started his career as a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines. Having left the military, he went back to university and completed a BA and PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School in Athens, Greece, and then a lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Nic is now a freelance author and researcher based in south-west France.

Peter Bull has worked as a freelance illustrator for more than twenty-five years. He illustrated Claire Llewellyn's Explorers: Big Cats, among other books. He creates both traditional and digital art for publishers worldwide and also runs the Peter Bull Art Studio, based in the United Kingdom.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing (March 27, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1846030749
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846030741
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.29 x 0.14 x 9.49 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

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Nic Fields

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
30 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jonathan B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing testament to Greek naval warfare
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
Amazing book with packed detail about Greek triērēs/trireme namely warfare and shipbuilding. Previous owner is a disabled US Army who kept the book in mint condition. As active duty Navy, this is much appreciated.
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m ziemann
5.0 out of 5 stars ancient greek warships
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
I am not naval guy, but I did find this book very informative on this subject. Naval warfare during this time must have very brutal. Get pulled out of the water either you are saved or your a slave. Very nice illustrations, text was great, and the pictures helped understand the terrain and sea at that time. If you war game naval miniatures you will in joy this book.
One person found this helpful
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JPS
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very best Ospreys
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2012
This book is an excellent summary of what we know about the Athenian trireme, rather than the "Ancient Greek Warship", as the title suggests, somewhat misleadingly. The Athenian trireme, as the contents of this volume makes clear, was only one type of trireme built for speed, swiftness manouvers and raming as a result (as opposed to "head-to-head" raming). There were also other types of warships, both smaller and larger, at the beginning and at the end of the period reviewed by this book (500-322 BC), when the trireme has just become THE ship of the line and when it was just about to be displaced in favour of larger ships (quadriremes and quinqueremes).

As usual with Osprey publications, the book is only a summary, so that those wanting more might be a bit disappointed. However, it is a very good one, to the extent that it covers all of the relevant aspects of the trireme, from its origins, probably Phoenician, to the performances obtained by the Olympias, a modern reconstruction of an Athenian trireme. There are specific sections on its design, construction, crew, armement and tactics in action, and two sections on its limitations and the Athenian navy. There is, of course, not enough space for a full history of the Athenian navy in the 5th and 4th centuries, although Nic Field still manages to make the main points in a clear way. Another strong point is Nic Field's use of the sources, which he so obviously knows, his useful little biographies for the main ones and the references for accessing them in English.

Finally, the bibliography is rather good, although the more technical and more complete "The Age of the Galley" (editor Robert Gardiner), which covers naval warfare under oars from Pre-Classical times until the 16th century, is missing. Also missing are a couple of more recent books published after this Osprey was released and which are listed below. In addition, both the photos and the plates support nicely the various sections of the book. I particularly liked plate F showing an example of the periplous which is drawn directly from Thucydides and the naval engagement off Naupaktos in the early stages of the Peloponesian War and in which 11 Athenian triremes soundly defeated some 20 Peloponesians.

This is certainly one of the best starting points for anyone developing an interest in naval warfare in Antiquity. Those wanting or needing to go further can, in addition to "The Age of the Galley", read:
- Lords of the Sea (John Hale, 2009), which is a rather excellent and well-written history of the Athenian navy and
- The Age of Titans (William Murray), which is about the larger ships developed during the Hellenistic period and their very special and different purposes.
3 people found this helpful
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Larry Doherty
4.0 out of 5 stars Greek Naval Vessels during the Peloponnesian Wars.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
The book is a abbreviated version about Greek naval vessels.
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Marco Antonio Abarca
2.0 out of 5 stars Another Osprey Dud
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2009
Verified Purchase
With Osprey Publishing you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes, they produce little gems that are well written and beautifully illustrated. Other times, they produce real turkeys and unfortunately "Ancient Greek Warship" is one of them. Osprey Publishing has a real problem with quality control. They have a stable of authors they repeatedly go back for new titles. Nic Fields is their "ancients" guy and anything from the olden days they give to him.

"Ancient Greek Warship" suffers from this slap dash approach. Nic Fields knows his ancient history but he is not an expert on the ancient maritime world. In this failed effort, Fields has inexpertly patched together research from the real naval experts. It all has the feel of a rushed college term paper. The illustrations are equally hackneyed. As an example, instead of purchasing quality photos of the reconstructed trireme "Olympias", Nic Fields uses his amateur snap shots of the dry docked ship. Peter Bull's cartoonish illustrations add final insult to injury. If you want to read a real book about triremes check out "The Age of the Galley-Mediterranean Oard Vessles since pre-classical Times" edited by John Morrison of Cambridge University.
13 people found this helpful
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Luigi Tufolo
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
It looks more a reportage about the replica Olympias rather than study on the trireme
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Dimitrios, Staboulis
5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr informativ !!!
Reviewed in Germany on August 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
Informationen für ein Modellschiff !!!
Report
JPS
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very best Ospreys
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book is an excellent summary of what we know about the Athenian trireme, rather than the "Ancient Greek Warship", as the title suggests, somewhat misleadingly. The Athenian trireme, as the contents of this volume makes clear, was only one type of trireme built for speed, swiftness manouvers and raming as a result (as opposed to "head-to-head" raming). There were also other types of warships, both smaller and larger, at the beginning and at the end of the period reviewed by this book (500-322 BC), when the trireme has just become THE ship of the line and when it was just about to be displaced in favour of larger ships (quadriremes and quinqueremes).

As usual with Osprey publications, the book is only a summary, so that those wanting more might be a bit disappointed. However, it is a very good one, to the extent that it covers all of the relevant aspects of the trireme, from its origins, probably Phoenician, to the performances obtained by the Olympias, a modern reconstruction of an Athenian trireme. There are specific sections on its design, construction, crew, armement and tactics in action, and two sections on its limitations and the Athenian navy. There is, of course, not enough space for a full history of the Athenian navy in the 5th and 4th centuries, although Nic Field still manages to make the main points in a clear way. Another strong point is Nic Field's use of the sources, which he so obviously knows, his useful little biographies for the main ones and the references for accessing them in English.

Finally, the bibliography is rather good, although the more technical and more complete "The Age of the Galley" (editor Robert Gardiner), which covers naval warfare under oars from Pre-Classical times until the 16th century, is missing. Also missing are a couple of more recent books published after this Osprey was released and which are listed below. In addition, both the photos and the plates support nicely the various sections of the book. I particularly liked plate F showing an example of the periplous which is drawn directly from Thucydides and the naval engagement off Naupaktos in the early stages of the Peloponesian War and in which 11 Athenian triremes soundly defeated some 20 Peloponesians.

This is certainly the best starting point for anyone developing an interest in naval warfare in Antiquity. Those wanting or needing to go further can, in addition to "The Age of the Galley", read:
- Lords of the Sea (John Hale, 2009), which is a rather excellent and well-written history of the Athenian navy and
- The Age of Titans (William Murray), which is about the larger ships developed during the Hellenistic period and their very special and different purposes.
One person found this helpful
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John Harbord
5.0 out of 5 stars expanded my horizons
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
The descriptions of cataphract biremes changed my understanding of the design principles of ancient warfare, bringing in themes that I had previously associated only with the origination of quinquiremes. I am very thankful for the well rounded and logically structured approach of this book.
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Dave The Gaffer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
Presented in a very readable way and proveded an excellent reference to my construction of a model Bireme warship of the time and also as part of my degree in classics course
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Brett1815
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2017
Verified Purchase
A good book, well laid out and worth a read
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