CLA230H1 Lecture : Peloponnesian War
Document Summary
Triremes: light, strong, skinny, about 9 feet wide, about 200 men per ship (170 rowers, wood - silver-fir, fir, pine, cedar, oak, etc. Plus troops (10 hoplites, 4 archers: oars were expensive, almost exclusively silver-fir, 5 drachmas for an oar, 170 rowers = 850 drachmas = 3 years wages, 35 tons of wood for one trireme. Athens: athens would have needed to secure good (light) sources of wood, not available in athens, best wood in macedonia, thrace and italy, athenian activity in this war has strong interest in securing wood, especially from. First thing they do with delian league is take eion, near amphipolus: amphipolis was good source of wood. Epidamnus and potidaea: epidamnus is corinthian/corcyrian colony, dispute between the two, athenian strategy: maintain naval superiority (based on triremes, athens interested in access to italy and north eastern aegean (metals, wood, grain) Perhaps athenian interest in epidamnus, corcyra and potidaea is linked to wood resources.
