Abstract: In Greek pre-history, any position of power was based on owning and exploiting local and regional agricultural potential. The present study analyses how Greek cities opened up a new field of resources by embracing the sea. Athens provides a prototypical example for the advantage gained by activating sea-trade and large-scale domination of sea-routes. The introduction of the navy had far-reaching repercussions on Athenian domestic policy: because the thetes now played a vital part in the armed forces, they demanded and achieved more influence on the politics of their city. In this dual sense – domination of the sea as a source of power in foreign policy and a broadening of the demographic base of equal participatory rights in the s...