NAVIES (OF. narir, from Lat. navia, ship, variant of saris, Gk. vacs, anus, Slit. flan. Oleel. )16r, ship, must, naval station; connected with Gk. pay, nein, to swim). The term navy is ap plied to the armed force of a country which oper ates on the water or in coast and harbor defense. The history of navies goes hack to the earliest days of ships, fmr no sooner were swim craft built than their value as weapons of war was at once seen. The Chinese were among the earliest of navigators, but little is known concerning their ancient fighting craft. The most ancient war ves sels of which the details are known were those of time Egyptians, and the date assigned to them is B.C. 3000, At the same time it is evident that there were many other peoples that possessed fighting vessels, and that the Egyptians were far from paramount ; for they had repeated naval combats with the Mysians, Phoexans, and Phoenicians, and probably also with the Bela: glans, Daunians, °scans, Cretans, and Sicilians. It is therefore impossible to fix any sort of priority to the possession of naval de fense. llerodotus says: "These Phocwans were the first of all the Greeks who undertook long voyages, and they are the people who discovered the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas, and Iberia and Tartessus (a part of modern Spain). They made their voyages in fifty-oared galleys and not in merchant ships." At this time, and for a long time subsequent and anterior, the shapes of nme•clhant and war vessels were quite different, the former being broad and suitable for carrying cargo and the latter narrow and sharp so as to make speed. In addition, the war vessels were Imilt with rams and other warlike appurtenaneelc, while the merchant vessels made a much greater use of sails.
The command of the sea, so far as the Mediter ranean was concerned, filially passed to the I•hmmieians. Of their cities, Tyre soon took the lead in wealth and power, reaching its zenith about it.c. 1000, when the expression 'a Tyrian sea' became "a proverbial expression for a sea whose navigation was prohibited to all lint those who claimed the ownership thereof." After a more or less complete naval supremacy lasting many centuries the prover of the Phmmiciaua be gan to wane through time repeated assaults of the Assyrians, who attacked Phrenicia by land. Not withstanding great numerieal inferiority, the Phrenieians managed, though defeated, to pre serve their independence, though in 870 they were compelled to pay tribute. In 724-720 Tyre was captured. but not destroyed, and in 050 the Tyrians threw off the foreign yoke. But the de vastating wars of the past two hundred years had so reduced the population that soon after thou• reassertion of independence their slaves rose and mastered the city. Very soon after this the Egyptians wade themselves masters of Phu:Mehl. but in 605 the Chaldeans drove them lit. The naval power of the Phu•nichin father land had now become of little importance, but Ler eolonies were wealthy and flourishing. In
the sixth century Carthage declared its inde pendence. and though it never attained the mas terful position of the parent State. for a century r more it was. upon the tvater, the most power ful of the Mediterranean States.
The decline of the Plwenician naval power per mitted the rise of that of the Greeks and Per sians. The confederated Greek fleets completely defeated the Persians at Salamis (B.C. 401. The naval supremacy of Athens was destroyed in the Peloponnesian War (n.c. 431-404).
The Romans found it necessary to build a war fleet when they came in Con illet with the power of Carthage. Their first success was the defeat of the Carthaginian fleet at Alyhe tux. 3(i0). With the fall of Carthage the naval power of Rome beenine paramount in the :Mediterranean. Finally the battle of Actium ( it.c. 31) cut off the last opposing naval force in the :Mediterranean, that of Egypt.
Early in the 'Middle Ages the countries about the Baltic and North seas, which had been send ing out their rovers in every direction, began to develop organized naval power. The predatory of the Norsemen show organized pow er. though the actual w:r•fare was mostly upon land. The songs ;Ind stories of the Scandinavians and Danes contain main• accounts of sea fighting. but the accounts are so intermixed with fable and poetic imagery that it is hard to separate fact frmn fiction. It is not until the ninth or tenth eentury that we begin to reach anything approach big reliable History. The first great sea light of which we have a full account is that between King (Oaf Trygvasson o1 Norway and the allied Powers of Denmark and Vendland, were assisted by the Norw4.gians of the Province of Viken I from which the name of Viking is derived). Notwithstanding his brave and able defensive fight. Olaf was overcome by weight of num bers, &ff.:11141. and killed. This was in the year 1000. lu 1014 (flat the Saint assisted the Saxons to eapture London, which was occu pied by the Danes. This tight is interesting from the filet that it was won by a fleet lighting against land forces. The eulmination of the naval power of Noway was reaeliet1 snnn after. wards under llarald Ilardrada. Abont five years before the landing of William the Conqueror in England. Harald destroyed the Danish in a fiercely fought action at Nisaa. In 10(16 he started with a fleet and army to assist Earl To-lig. brother of Harold of England. who was in rebellion and had fled to Norway. The ambi t it n of Norwegian King in (his instance caused his death. for• he was killed in battle at "Ianaford IlrithPre. September 2.5, 10116 three days before the landing of the Normans and less than three weeks before the battle of Hastings. After the death of Harald Ilardrada the Norse -ea power declined.