The Byzantine navy comprised the naval forces of the Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it developed directly from its earlier imperial Roman counterpart, but in comparison with its precursor played a far greater role in the defense and survival of the state. While the fleets of the Roman Empire faced few great naval threats, operating as a policing force and vastly inferior in power and prestige to the legions, the sea was vital to the very existence of Byzantium, which several historians have called a "maritime empire". The re-establishment of a permanently maintained fleet in the 6th century and the introduction of the dromon galley in the same period also marks the point where the Byzantine navy began departing from its late Roman roots. This process would be furthered with the onset of the Muslim conquests in the 7th century. Following the loss of the Levant and later Africa, the Mediterranean Sea was transformed from a "Roman lake" into a battleground between Byzantines and Arabs. Through the use of the newly invented "Greek fire", the Byzantine navy's best-known and feared secret weapon, Constantinople was saved from several sieges and numerous naval engagements were won for the Byzantines. The antagonism with the Muslim navies continued with alternating success. Faced with new naval challenges from the West, the Byzantines were increasingly forced to rely on the navies of Italian city-states like Venice and Genoa. The diminished navy, however, continued to be active until the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans in 1453.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_navy

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

331 BC:

Alexander the Great of Macedon defeated Darius III of Persia at the Battle of Gaugamela, and was subsequently crowned "King of Asia" in a ceremony in Arbela. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gaugamela

1890:

At the urging of preservationist John Muir and writer Robert Underwood Johnson, the United States Congress established Yosemite National Park in California. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park

1949:

Chinese Civil War: Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China

1964:

Tōkaidō Shinkansen, the first Shinkansen line of high-speed railways in Japan, opened. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen

1965:

A coup d'état in Indonesia by the self-proclaimed Thirtieth of September Movement was crushed by forces of General Suharto and sparked an anti-Communist purge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_September_Movement

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

agape (adj): 1. (of a mouth) Gaping, as with wonder, expectation, or eager attention. 2. Open wide http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/agape

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black. --Henry Ford http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Ford