John R. Hale (1) (1951–)
Author of Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy
For other authors named John R. Hale, see the disambiguation page.
Works by John R. Hale
Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy (2009) 596 copies, 8 reviews
The Art of Public Speaking: Lessons From the Greatest Speeches in History (2010) — Instructor — 108 copies, 1 review
Associated Works
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History — Summer 1996 (1996) — Author "Phormio Crosses the T" — 13 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1951
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Yale University (BA|1973)
University of Cambridge (PhD|Archaeology, 1979) - Occupations
- archaeologist
- Organizations
- The Teaching Company
University of Louisville (director of liberal studies) - Awards and honors
- Panhellenic Teacher of the Year Award
Delphi Center Award - Short biography
- John R. (Rigby) Hale born 1951 -- Professor Hale teaches introductory courses on archaeology, as well as more specialized courses on the Bronze Age, the ancient Greeks, the Roman world, Celtic cultures, the Vikings, and nautical and underwater archaeology. An accomplished instructor, Professor Hale is also an archaeologist with more than 30 years of fieldwork experience. He has excavated at a Romano-British town in Lincolnshire, England, and at the Roman Villa of Torre de Palma in Portugal. Among other places, he has carried out interdisciplinary studies of ancient oracle sites in Greece and Turkey, including the famous Delphic oracle, and participated in an undersea search in Greek waters for lost fleets from the time of the Persian Wars. Permalink: http://viaf.org/viaf/78872881
- Nationality
- USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
My readings in Ancient history are extremely limited but I had no trouble following this and staying absorbed. It's all new to me so I actually sort of loved the book, the author brought the period to life. Many famous people, battles and events a placed into a continuity of time that is easy to follow. Hale writes in a way that is accessible, he employes narrative techniques to great effect without sacrificing history, it helps the events are so dramatic. The Athenian navy at first seemed a show more bit gimmicky to hang a book from but it turns out to be appropriate, it really was the central feature of Athens rise to power, and Democracy. I look forward to reading more about the period, probably starting with Kagan's book on the Peloponnesian War. show less
My first thought before I even started this book is, "why bother?" I already read Donald Kagan's phenomenal history of The Peloponnesian War, who is this guy and what can he possibly add? Well, it turns out Mr. Hale is not only a former student of Kagan, but he's the guy who twisted Kagan's arm to distill his 4-volume scholarly epic into the excellent book aimed at a broader audience. When that deal went down. Hale was contracted to write a sort of companion book that focused entirely on the show more Athenian Navy.
The story of the Athenian navy starts with the Persian wars. Athens at the time had a middling hoplite army that was less effective than Sparta and no better than the rest of the Greek city states. The decision to focus entirely on maritime supremacy launched a veritable golden age that peaked even after a stunning defeat in the Peloponnesian War. It wasn't until Alexander the Great humbled all of Greece that Athenian power ceased to be a dominate factor in the Aegean. For nearly 200 years prior to this, however, Athens won stunning victories against horrific odds, celebrated (and then sometimes ostracized) many generals; and experienced ebbs and flows within their novel democracy that led to the demise of some generals and the great teacher/philosopher Socrates. This latter bit is important when considering the military history of Greece during this time -- knowing the outcome of the battles is not nearly enough, the context changed so rapidly that the same general (like Alcibiades) might find himself fighting on different sides during the course of his career.
This book is an excellent companion to Kagan's book, and although it is more Athenian-centric, it also has a broader scope, covering events before and after the Peloponnesian War. My only complaints are minor -- I think I would have liked a little more biography with some of the Spartan, Persian, Theban, and other adversaries...Hale drops a lot of names that are somewhat familiar to me but only because I've heard about them in passing in other such books. I did learn more about trireme battle strategy and many of the Athenian generals though, this book certainly was not a rehash of what I already know (and if that needs to be qualified, I started with Thucydides 35 years ago in an Ancient Greek History class and have been reading on this subject ever since). show less
The story of the Athenian navy starts with the Persian wars. Athens at the time had a middling hoplite army that was less effective than Sparta and no better than the rest of the Greek city states. The decision to focus entirely on maritime supremacy launched a veritable golden age that peaked even after a stunning defeat in the Peloponnesian War. It wasn't until Alexander the Great humbled all of Greece that Athenian power ceased to be a dominate factor in the Aegean. For nearly 200 years prior to this, however, Athens won stunning victories against horrific odds, celebrated (and then sometimes ostracized) many generals; and experienced ebbs and flows within their novel democracy that led to the demise of some generals and the great teacher/philosopher Socrates. This latter bit is important when considering the military history of Greece during this time -- knowing the outcome of the battles is not nearly enough, the context changed so rapidly that the same general (like Alcibiades) might find himself fighting on different sides during the course of his career.
This book is an excellent companion to Kagan's book, and although it is more Athenian-centric, it also has a broader scope, covering events before and after the Peloponnesian War. My only complaints are minor -- I think I would have liked a little more biography with some of the Spartan, Persian, Theban, and other adversaries...Hale drops a lot of names that are somewhat familiar to me but only because I've heard about them in passing in other such books. I did learn more about trireme battle strategy and many of the Athenian generals though, this book certainly was not a rehash of what I already know (and if that needs to be qualified, I started with Thucydides 35 years ago in an Ancient Greek History class and have been reading on this subject ever since). show less
Hale is a fabulous guide through Greece and Turkey. As an archaeologist, he brings a deep understanding and appreciation for history, but also for the culture that has shaped that part of the world. The lectures are full of videos and illustrations of the places he speaks of, so this is completely engrossing. As a lecturer, Professor Hale is smooth, friendly, non-academic, and full of good advice for tourists (e.g., wear a hat, watch for those slippery stones). This course will make you want show more to book your own several weeks long journey to the places he mentions--but of course, in 2016 that part of the world, especially Turkey, is not quite the relaxed, idyllic place it was in 2011 when this course was published. Let's hope that things eventually return to normal and we are able to once again pay our homage in person to the great Greek and Ottoman civilizations. show less
Fascinating book by someone who has studied the Athenian navy for forty years according to the preface. And yet, the book is very accessible vs being written for other scholars.
This covers the history of Athens and to a lesser extent Sparta from the time of King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans vs Persian thousands at the battle of Thermopylae until the reign of Alexander the Great.
I knew democracy was born in Greece at Athens. But I didn't realize democracy was a product of war and was show more maintained by warfare for generations. Once the Athenian navy was powerful enough to overawe their neighbors peace was maintained for long periods of time. Then they would stop supporting the navy to the same degree and as their power waned so did peace. Interesting analysis of naval power and the creation of democracy and the effects on Athenian society.
It's always interesting to learn about cultures that are so incredibly different then our own. We tend to think other cultures are more like us than not in many ways. And that is just not the way things have always been. But we look back in history sometimes we find that we, rather than the people of the past, are alien. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 9
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 952
- Popularity
- #27,036
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 12
- ISBNs
- 38
- Languages
- 1