Everyone has seen films depicting the soldiers of Sparta, so most would assume that their military would easily defeat any other nation’s lesser armies. History can attest to the superior infantry that Sparta produced. These soldiers were the best when compared to all the other Greek nations; however, did Sparta have the greatest military force in all of Greece? Throughout the history of ancient Greece, superior naval forces were every bit if not more vital to national defense. The idea of a strong navy was especially significant to the Greek nation of Athens. Many nations during that time would say that a superior navy was far more important than having superior land forces. With Athens and Sparta fighting countless battles for control over Greece a superior Athenian navy was more effective in war than a superior Spartan army. There were numerous reasons why Athens was able to have superior naval forces, but the largest reason was money. According to Anna Maria Gillis of Humanities.gov; when speaking of money in Athens “money mattered.” The Athenian empire was secured with continuous military victories over prospective invaders. This military success was due to Athens’ superior naval forces, and because of their victories Athens received large sums of money (tribute) from other Greek nations for naval protection. Athens used this income to bolster its navy by building more ships and paying their respective crews. Athenian naval personnel were highly experienced war fighters, and were led in battle by brilliant commanders. Standard Athenian naval strategies were based upon the concept that they would easily outmaneuver any invading land forces. With this concept, not only could an overwhelming naval fleet transport infantry around or behind invading forces, but the Athenian fleet would also be able to provide protection to vital supply lines. Unarmed