During the Greco-Persian Wars, Athens developed a large, powerful navy in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that defeated the even larger Persian Navy at the Battle of Salamis. The Athenian Navy consisted of 80,000 crewing 400 ships.

' This Athenian naval reputation resulted largely from the role played by the Athenian fleet in the defeat of the Persians at Salamis in 480 and also from the Athenian maritime empire which enjoyed hegemony in the Aegean following the Persian Wars. Clearly, Athens was the pre-eminent naval power among the Greek states.