«Plunge into the deep-roaring sea». Theseus and the emergence of Athenian thalassocracy

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the myth of Theseus in constructing and legitimizing the maritime identity and naval hegemony of Classical Athens between the late 6th and 5th centuries BC. In the aftermath of the Persian Wars and the establishment of the Delian League, the Athenian democracy reinterpreted its national hero, gradually replacing Heracles with a new civic and political paradigm. Through the analysis of literary sources and the rich visual repertoire of Attic red-figure pottery, this study demonstrates how Theseus’ maritime metis was closely intertwined with ephebic rites of passage and civic festivals, providing the emerging Athenian thalassocracy with a profound religious and cultural foundation.