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'{{About|the warfare aspects of ancient Athens|the military history of ancient Athens|Classical Athens}} [[File:Athenian empire atheight 450 shepherd1923.png|thumb|280px|The [[Athenian Empire]] around 450 BC]] The '''Athenian military''' was the military force of [[Ancient Athens|Athens]], one of the major [[city-state]]s (''[[polis|poleis]]'') off [[Ancient Greece]]. It was largely similar to [[Ancient Greek warfare|other armies of the region]]. {{Main article|Ancient Greek warfare}} == Army == In the manner of neighboring city-states the backbone of the Athenian military on land was the [[hoplite]], a soldier primarily armed with a shield and spear.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/greek-art-and-archaeology-a-new-history-c-2500-c-150-bce/oclc/745332893|title=Greek art and archaeology: a new history, c. 2500-c. 150 BCE|last=Neer|first=Richard T|date=|publisher=|year=2012|isbn=9780500288771|location=New York|pages=95|language=English}}</ref> Accompanying every hoplite was a lightly armed attendant, either a poor citizen who could not afford a regular suit of [[Linothorax|armor]] (''panoplia''), or possibly a trusted [[Slavery in ancient Greece|slave]]. These attendants carried the hoplite's shield (''[[aspis]]'') until the battle and most of the baggage. While generally armed with [[javelins]], they sometimes had [[spear]]s, [[Sling (weapon)|slings]] or [[Bow (weapon)|bows]]. The attendants acted as [[skirmishers]] before the pitched battle and were assigned to guard the camp during the actual fight. When the battle was over, they would attempt either to cover the retreat of the main body or slaughter the fleeing enemy forces if their own hoplites were victorious.<ref name="Davis1910">{{cite book | first = William | last = Davis | title = A Day In Old Athens | year = 1910 | ISBN = 9781419100796}}</ref> During and after the [[Peloponnesian Wars]], the use and importance of light troops increased with the introduction of the [[peltasts]]: lightly armoured, if at all, and armed with javelins and a shield, the ''[[pelte]]''.<ref name="Davis1910"/> Their effectiveness in battle, even against the best-trained heavy hoplites, was demonstrated by the Athenian general [[Iphicrates]], who annihilated an entire [[Sparta]]n ''[[mora (military unit)|mora]]'' with his peltasts.<ref>{{cite book | first = David | last = Phillips | title = Athenian Political Oratory: Sixteen Key Speeches |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=edGZyB0R_PIC&pg=PA230 | publisher = Routledge | year = 2004 | isbn = 9780415966092 | page = 230}}</ref> == Navy == {{Main article|Trireme}} During the Persian wars Athens developed a large, powerful navy in the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] that destroyed the even larger [[Persian Empire|Persian]] navy at the [[Battle of Salamis]]. The Athenian Navy consisted of 80,000 men crewing 400 ships.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}} The main warships of the fleet were the [[triremes]]. With its fleet, Athens obtained hegemony over the rest of the [[Polis|Greek city-states]] forming the first [[Delian League|Athenian Empire]]. Its fleet was destroyed and empire lost during the [[Peloponnesian War]]. Athens regained some of its naval power after the Second Athenian Empire was rebuilt; however, it never fully recovered as its rivals were much stronger than before. The fleet included two sacred ships, the [[Paralus (ship)|Paralus]] and the [[Salaminia]] used for diplomatic and ceremonial duties.<ref name="Davis1910" /> ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==Sources== *{{PD-old-text|title=A Day in Old Athens|year=1910|author=[[William Stearns Davis]]}} {{wikisource-inline|list= * [[s:Peace (Aristophanes)|''Peace'']] * [[s:Hellenica (Xenophon)|''Hellenica'']] * [[s:Athenian Constitution|''Athenian Constitution'']] }} [[Category:Military history of Ancient Athens]] [[Category:Government of ancient Athens]]'