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Achaemenid navy
The Achaemenid navy (Old Persian: 𐎴𐎠𐎺 nāva) was the principal naval force of the Achaemenid Empire which existed between 525 BC and 330 BC.
In Old Persian, the written language of Achaemenid inscriptions, the word used to refer to the 'navy' or 'fleet' was "nāva", a noun in plural feminine nominative form. It is of the same root of Indo-European for words such as "navy" and "navigate". In modern usage of Persian language, the word has retained its form and meaning (lit. 'warships').[citation needed]
No relevant primary documents have been found about it, nor have any ruins of Persian naval installations or remains of ships been excavated. While independent Persian tradition is lost, all we know about the Achaemenid navy is recorded by ancient Greek historians like Herodotus.
Scholars categorize the record of operation of the navy to two distinct periods from 525 to 479, and from 479 to 330 BC.
Cambyses founded the navy for conquest of Egypt in the Battle of Pelusium. After him, Darius I deployed the navy to strengthen dominance over the coast of Asia Minor, as well as its adjacent islands. During reign of Darius, Persians captured Samos (c. 517 BC), conquered Thrace, waged war on Scythia (c. 512 BC), and suppressed rebellions started in 500 BC, leading to the Battle of Lade (494 BC).
The navy had lost its presence in the Aegean Sea, and its strength was reduced. In the Battle of the Eurymedon (c. 468 BC), the Persians were defeated and lost 200 ships according to the account of Thucydides. The next significant defeat occurred in c. 450 BC, when they lost a war in Cyprus (near modern-day Larnaca).
The creation the organization, infrastructure, and financial basis of the Achaemenid navy is attributed to Darius I.
The coasts of Phoenicia, as well as Cyprus and Cilicia, always played a strategic role in the Achaemenid navy. Strabo and Herodotus mentioned two central bases for the navy: one in Cilicia and the other in Kyme–Phocaea (both located in modern-day Turkey). Centers that trained crew for vessels were isolated from the central bases. The Cilician base was heavily guarded by a large number of troops, whose payments were financed by the local tributes in that satrapy. It is likely that Acco served as the third main base.
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Achaemenid navy
The Achaemenid navy (Old Persian: 𐎴𐎠𐎺 nāva) was the principal naval force of the Achaemenid Empire which existed between 525 BC and 330 BC.
In Old Persian, the written language of Achaemenid inscriptions, the word used to refer to the 'navy' or 'fleet' was "nāva", a noun in plural feminine nominative form. It is of the same root of Indo-European for words such as "navy" and "navigate". In modern usage of Persian language, the word has retained its form and meaning (lit. 'warships').[citation needed]
No relevant primary documents have been found about it, nor have any ruins of Persian naval installations or remains of ships been excavated. While independent Persian tradition is lost, all we know about the Achaemenid navy is recorded by ancient Greek historians like Herodotus.
Scholars categorize the record of operation of the navy to two distinct periods from 525 to 479, and from 479 to 330 BC.
Cambyses founded the navy for conquest of Egypt in the Battle of Pelusium. After him, Darius I deployed the navy to strengthen dominance over the coast of Asia Minor, as well as its adjacent islands. During reign of Darius, Persians captured Samos (c. 517 BC), conquered Thrace, waged war on Scythia (c. 512 BC), and suppressed rebellions started in 500 BC, leading to the Battle of Lade (494 BC).
The navy had lost its presence in the Aegean Sea, and its strength was reduced. In the Battle of the Eurymedon (c. 468 BC), the Persians were defeated and lost 200 ships according to the account of Thucydides. The next significant defeat occurred in c. 450 BC, when they lost a war in Cyprus (near modern-day Larnaca).
The creation the organization, infrastructure, and financial basis of the Achaemenid navy is attributed to Darius I.
The coasts of Phoenicia, as well as Cyprus and Cilicia, always played a strategic role in the Achaemenid navy. Strabo and Herodotus mentioned two central bases for the navy: one in Cilicia and the other in Kyme–Phocaea (both located in modern-day Turkey). Centers that trained crew for vessels were isolated from the central bases. The Cilician base was heavily guarded by a large number of troops, whose payments were financed by the local tributes in that satrapy. It is likely that Acco served as the third main base.