17.4 The Grand Armada

In mid-summer the appointed day came for the fleet’s sailing. The people of Athens descended to the port of Piraeus to watch the spectacle as one hundred newly constructed and fitted-out galleys launched into the harbor. The ships were freshly painted and the soldiers and marines glittered in new or polished armor and weaponry. Once the ships were all assembled a long blast from a bugle signaled silence. On each ship sailors poured libations of wine into the sea from gold and silver cups, and prayers were said for the safety of the fleet. The men sang a battle paean together. Then the oarsmen dropped their oars into the water and drove the ships forward, forming a single file through the shallows, then breaking formation to race each other to the island of Aegina in the distance. The crowds watched with pride mixed with apprehension as the great armada, the largest ever assembled by a Greek state, disappeared over the horizon. <a href="https://medium.com/the-first-philosophers/17-4-the-grand-armada-c0ed75db9aef">Click Here</a>