The historic Battle of Salamis will be the theme of the Greek Community of Melbourne’s (GCM) next free online seminar on 5 November which is part of its Greek History and Culture Seminars series for 2020.
Eminent historian Dr Zisis Fotakis will present the lecture which is entitled: “The Naval Battle of Salamis: An Instructive Example of Coalition and Naval Warfare.
Dr Fotakis is Assistant Professor in Naval History and the Hellenic Naval Academy and a lecturer at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences. He has written extensively on Greek naval history and taught on various aspects of Modern and Greek history.
His monograph “Greek Naval Strategy and Policy, 1910-1919” (Routledge: London and New York, 2005) was awarded a prestigious prize by the Hellenic Academy of Arts and Sciences (Akademia Athenon), and was favourably reviewed by eminent naval. He was an academic visitor at Yale University and at the United States Naval War College.
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Of Salamis itself, it was one of the most decisive naval battles in history as well as one of the bloodiest in antiquity – the casualties exceeded those of most 20th Century sea battles. While it did not end the Persian War, Dr Fotakis said that it marked a “strategic turning point and showed that coalitions can form an impressive force despite their often-convoluted decision-making processes”.
“It is also a telling reminder of the capacity of the Hellenic nation to work miracles against the numerically superior adversaries, despite its small size and often divided polity. My presentation comments upon notable features of this memorable event,” Dr Fotakis said.
The online lecture will be presented online at 7pm on 5 November by registering on the Zoom link or through links to the GCM’s YouTube and Facebook pages. For more information call 03 9662 2722 or email: info@greekcommunity.com.au
READ MORE: Salamis Special: Commemorating the very distant past
