Rule of the Sea: The Evolution and Transformation of an Ancient Concept from Thucydides to the later Roman Republic

This dissertation project focused on the development and transfer of conceptions of naval supremacy in Antiquity, with particular emphasis on historiographic treatments of this subject by Thucydides and Polybius.

Research

For the period between the 5th c. BC and the late Roman Republic, the project explored the characteristics, transformation and unique, time-specific qualities of conceptions of maritime supremacy. It also investigated the transfer of these conceptions throughout the Mediterranean region and examine their role within larger imperial concepts.

This Ph.D. thesis has been written within the program “Ancient Languages and Texts” (ALT) of the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS).

The project was successfully completed and published with the title: “Das Meer als Versprechen”