Page 10 - NS-2 Textbook

Sea Power and Early Western Civilization

Sea power is the ability to use the sea to meet a nation's Phoenicians also started colonies and trading stations,
needs. It means being able to defend a nation's own sea- which grew into new centers of civilization. TIle Phoeni-
lanes, and the ability to deny an enemy the use of the sea cian alphabet became the written language of traders,
in time of ·war. and they were the first to use money as a means to facil-
Sea power played a major role in the development of itate trade. Later, the Phoenician alphabet became the
early Western civilization. In many wars throughout his- basis for our own alphabet. The greatest of the Phoeni-
tory, a single major victory at sea made winning possible. cian colonies grew to be the empire of Carthage in North
Defeat of the enemy's fleet kept it from supplying its Africa, later the main opponent of Rome.
land forces. The victor was then able to attack the Next came the Greeks. Famous Greek authors-
enemy's homeland, thus winning the tvar on land. Herodotus, 11mcydides, and Homer-wrote detailed,
semifictional accotmts of early sea power. One of the
more well known of these tales is about the Trojan War. It
EARLY SEAFARERS
is based on an actual series of conflicts fought between
Early people feared the seas. They saw them as barriers. 1200 and 1190 B.C. to control the Hellespont, now called
Gradually, however, they learned to use the watel; both the Dardanelles (Turkish Straits), in order to take control
as a way to get food by fishing and as an easier way to of the Aegean-Black Sea trade. By 500 B.C., the Greek city-
travel and conduct trade. Travel by sea was fastel; states had achieved a high level of civilization, and their
cheaper, and safer than travel over land. Before long the trading ships and naval vessels sailed the entire Mediter-
countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea that carried ranean. Many prosperous Greek colonies developed in
on the most trade became the richest and most powerful Asia Minor (Turkey), Sicily, Italy, France, and Spain. They
in that region. took over sea control from the Phoenicians.
The first European people to use sea power were the Early trading vessels were clumsy craft, easy prey
sailors and traders of ancient Crete, a large rocky island for armed robbers in smallel; swifter craft. So merchants
south of Greece. Some 4,000 years ago (2500-1200 B.C.) began to crew vessels with hired seagoing soldiers to
the Cretans dominated their neighbors on the shores of protect their ships and to patrol the seaways. Navies thus
the Aegean Sea, countries now known as Greece and came into being, using special ships called galleys (which
Turkey. This was inevitable because of Crete's geogra- could be propelled by oars as well as by sails) crewed by
phy. The island was too rugged for farming, and it sits trained fighting men.
right on the major sea routes of the eastern Mediter-
ranean.
GREECE VS. PERSIA
The Phoenicians were the next to master the sea in
this region. From about 2000 to 300 B.C., their ships By 492 B.C. Greek expansion had run into the mighty
roamed throughout the Mediterranean, carrying tin from forces of Persia (now Iran) moving westward into the
Britain, amber from the Baltic Sea, and slaves and ivory eastern Mediterranean. The Greeks were able to hold off
from western Africa. The Phoenicians established great two Persian invasions in the next twelve years but then
ports at Tyre and Sidon in what is now Lebanon. were forced to withdraw from their northern lands in
These port cities were at the end of the Asian caravan Thrace and Macedonia. In 480 B.C. Xerxes, the Persian
routes, which brought in the wealth of Asia. Phoenician king, undertook a huge invasion to try to conquer the
ships carried this wealth to the coastal trading cities Greeks once and for all. Knowing that sea power would
around the Mediterranean and to northern Europe. The be necessary for a victory, Xerxes built a navy of 1,300

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