Blockade is far older than the last few centuries. The Romans did not invent it, and maritime powers in the Far East and wider Asia used it at least as early. The first blockade may be impossible to identify because the practice is as old as organized naval forces. Wherever ships could control movement by water, they could keep enemy vessels, supplies, or trade from passing.
Notable Point · 3:30-4:34
Blockade predates Rome and spans naval traditions
Blockade long predates Rome and belongs to the basic practice of warfare wherever organized naval forces could control movement by water.