In our last series of +1s, we spent some time hanging out with Donald Robertson as we explored wisdom from his new book How to Think Like Socrates.
Today we’re going to spend some more time in Athens.
As you know if you’ve been following along, nearly 200 members of our Heroic community joined us in Athens for an incredible week. We spent some time visiting the Acropolis, the grounds of Plato’s Academy, and the all-marble stadium in which the first modern Olympics was held.
On the walk to the Olympic stadium, I spent some time with a new friend who joined us. That new friend happened to be a U.S. Navy officer. He recommended I read a book on the ancient Athenian navy called Lords of the Sea by John Hale.
So…
I immediately got it. It was waiting for me when I got home.
I was especially excited to read the book for a number or reasons.
First, the day after we experienced the Acropolis and the Olympic stadium, we had the privilege of visiting (and boarding!) an ancient Athenian warship.
Fun historical fact: Whereas the Spartans might have had an edge on land, the Athenians had the edge on water. 🤓
The Athenian Navy was the most powerful Navy in the ancient world and one of the primary drivers of the culture the citizen of Athens created that changed the world.
In addition, whereas the hoplite soldiers tended to come from families with more wealth who could afford to purchase their armor and weapons, the ancient Athenian Naval Sailors tended to come from families of citizens with more modest means.
Now…
Coming from a family with a Naval background of modest means (my father served in the U.S. Navy, and my grandfather fought as a U.S. Marine in World War II), this had significant meaning for me as well.
Back to the book…
As per the sub-title, the book tells “The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy.”
More specifically, it tells us how we have the Athenian navy to thank for not only the birth of democracy but for the Golden Age of Athens that produced those ancient ruins of the Acropolis AND the cultural contributions in architecture, the arts AND philosophy.
We’ll chat about some wisdom from the book in our next several +1s.
For now, here’s one of my favorite passages…
Professor Hale tells us: “While still far out at sea, they were greeted by a flash of light on the summit of the Acropolis, four miles inland. It was the sun reflected on the shining spear tip and crested helmet a colossal bronze statue of Athena, one of the first great masterpieces of the Athenian artist Phidias. The statue had been nine years in the making and stood thirty feet tall. As the triremes approached the end of their voyaging, the crews strove to look their best with perfect timing and oarsmanship.”
He continues by saying: “There was a popular saying, ‘As the Athenian goes into the harbor,’ for any task done with the utmost precision. The mariners knew well that thousands of critical eyes were watching and judging their performance.”
That’s Today’s +1.
Here’s to showing up with excellence…
“As the Athenian goes into harbor.”
P.S. Additional fun fact: With Heroic, we have had the privilege of working with the Commanding Officers and Sailors on three U.S. aircraft carriers: the USS Ronald Reagan, the USS George H.W. Bush, and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
I made sure I brought the hats from each of those carriers so the family could wear them for the special day. 🫡 🇺🇸 🚢
(Check out the picture of the fam here.)
P.P.S. Check out this National Geographic article for more on those ancient Athenian warships! ⚓ 🫡
P.P.P.S. We’re heading to Rome in 2025. Join us!
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