A number of ephebic reliefs displayed in Athens during the late first to third centuries AD feature references to a naumachia in either words or images. This paper explores the history to these reliefs by looking at the roles played by Athenian ephebes in naval displays during the late Hellenistic period, and at the changes which occurred in both terminology and display under the Roman Empire. In both the late Hellenistic and the Roman period there is a clear association made between naval activities and the memory of the battle of Salamis in 480 BC. The rituals performed by the Athenian ephebes during festivals and at sites associated with this famous sea-battle ensured its continued memory throughout this period. Yet we also find an increased emphasis on the martial nature of the ephebes’ activities, through use of the term naumachia, during the Roman period, which made the link to Salamis increasingly specific, perhaps in relation to the sponsorship and interests of Roman emperors
