### id263995876 Athens depended on sea power > We cannot quantify the sources of the Athenian food supply, but we do know that Athens had been importing grain from the Black Sea to supplement domestic production for more than a century. Wartime reliance on imports meant only a shift in an existing balance, not a wholesale transition to a new source of food. In any case, before the establishment of the fort at Dekeleia, Spartan ravaging caused only superficial damage and left most of the countryside unaffected, as *Hell. Oxy.* 17 makes clear. In other words, even with the Attic countryside operating normally (or something close to it), Athens would still need access to grain from across the sea. > > The importance of sea power for Athens also extends beyond the protection of their food supply. Control of the sea allowed them to rule over their subject allies and extract tribute. Without that source of income their naval and imperial power would have dissipated quickly. The entire structure was built on their unchallenged dominance at sea. - [View Highlight](https://reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/q3bowq/sparta_wasnt_that_effective_in_war_were_there_any?__readwiseLocation=0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F12%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F5%2F1%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A38%2C0%2F1%2F0%2F4%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F12%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F5%2F1%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A345#:~:text=Athenian%20food%20supply%2C%20but%20we%2Ctheir%20unchallenged%20dominance%20at%20sea.) - [[hypermilitarized groups in history#id263995876 Athens depended on sea power|View in Vault]]