Armies Strength and weaknesses Flashcards
Describe Athens’ strengths of being an empire (6)
® “Athenian navy grew strong at their expense” [Thucydides 1.99.3]
® Pericles speech before 1st invasion 431BC has Thuc give “conservative” estimate of Athenian resources: 600 talents yearly revenue from tribute, 6000 reserve in the Acropolis, and could always use gold and silver from temples and statue of Athena. 13,000 hoplites in Athens, 16,000 stationed in empire, 1200 cavalry from Thessaly, 300 triremes -each with 200 rowers. Plenty of allies, with Chios, lesbos and Corcyra providing ships. [Thucydides]
® Kimon “accepted money or empty ships from all those peoples who were unwilling to serve abroad” [Plutarch Life of Kimon 11]
® “sunk into the position of tributaries and subjects instead of allies” [Plutarch Life of Kimon 11]
® Aristides sets the tribute the Delian League to originally pays at “460 talents” [Thucydides 1.96]
® Amphipolis was “useful because it supplied timber for ship-building” [Thucydides, 4.108]
Describe Athens’ navy strength (4)
® Themistocles persuaded the Athenians “to spend it on the construction of two hundred warships” [Herodotus Histories 7.144] Modern historians doubt Herodotus’ figure of 200 in favour of 100.
® At Artemisium there were 271 ships, 127 of which were Athenian. [Herodotus, Book 8]
® “he made the ships of his enemies empty” by having Cyrus pay the sailors 4 obols instead of 3. [Plutarch, Life of Lysander, 4]
® “the wooden wall would not be taken” [Herodotus Histories 8.51]
Describe Athens’ strength of walls (3)
® “Every single thing that the city needed had to be imported, so that instead of a city it became a fortress” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 7.27]
® Counter: “the plague which did more harm and destroyed more life than almost any other single factor” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.23]
® The Athenians brought their belongings behind the wall and sent their cattle to Euboea [Thucydides
describe Athens’ strength of leaders (5)
® “in what was nominally a democracy, power was really in the hands of the first citizen” [Thucydides]
® Periclean strategy: “they were not to go out and offer battle, but were to come inside the city and guard it”, rely on navy and the resources of the empire. Avoid engaging the Spartans directly in full hoplite battle, it’d be impossible to win, instead use the fleet to harass and attack Spartan allies. Tighten control of allies in case of revolt, and don’t add to the empire during this time. [Thucydides]
® “no man did more than Cimon to humble the pride of the Great King” [Plutarch Life of Kimon 12]
® Counter: The Spartans try to make a truce with Athens due to Sphacteria but Cleon’s unreasonable terms prevent this succeeding. [Thucydides, 4.21-2]
® Miltiades gave Callimachus the decision at Marathon “either to enslave Athens, or to make her free” [Herodotus, Histories, 6.109]
Describe Athens’ weakness of unpopularity (2)
® At the start of the Peloponnesian War: “People’s feelings were generally very much on the side of the Spartans” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 2.8]
® Sparta “proclaimed that their aim was the liberation of Hellas” from Athens [Thucydides, 2.8]
Describe Athens’ weakness of democracy
® The Athenians executed 6 of the 8 generals that won (destroying 77 enemy ships) the Battle of Arginusae for not rescuing the sailors. [Xenophon, Hellenica, 1.7.34]
® “you are attacking me for having spoken in favour of war and yourselves for having voted for it” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 2.60]
® Ostracise Kimon in 461BC despite his great victories. He returns in 451BC. [Thucydides]
® Demagogy leads to mistakes, like war in Sicily, which Thucydides blames for Athens losing the war.
® If the people had listened to Perikles’ advice (stay in the city, don’t engage the Spartans in battle and keep from adding to the empire) the course of events may have been different. [Thucydides]
Describe Athens’ weakness of over ambition (4)
® Nicias made another speech in which he recommended more resources being committed, in the hopes this would dissuade Athens pursuing the expedition, but this backfired and made everyone more excited. Resulted in 220 ships and 6200 hoplites being sent (half of the empire’s resources). [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 6.24]
® “the whole of Hellas, after the great disaster in Sicily, turned immediately against Athens” + neutral states joined Sparta and “the subjects of Athens were all ready to revolt” [Thucydides]
® “Athens, with two wars on her hands … would be now easier to crush” [Thucydides, 7.18]
® Imperialistic nature of Athens meant “they are always abroad” Corinthian Complaint. [Thucydides
Describe Spartas strength of miliraty (6)
® Myth of Thermopylae: “they resisted to the last, with their swords, if they had them, and, if not, with their hands and teeth” [Herodotus, Book 7]
® Inscription on the burial mound: “Four thousand here from Pelops’ land/ Against three million once did start” [Herodotus Histories 7.228]
® The Spartans don’t chase after their fleeing enemies [Thucydides, 5.73]
® “The general impression had been that Spartans would never surrender” [Thucydides, 4.40]
® Battle of Mantinea (418): Argive army marches to meet Spartans with 1000 Athenian hoplites and a Mantinean force. Overwhelming Spartan victory. Reasserts military superiority. [Thucydides]
® “Lakedaimonians alone are true professionals in the overall conduct of war” [Xenophon]
Describe spartas strength of reputation (5)
® “the other members of the confederacy had stipulated for a Lacedaemonian commander”” [Herodotus, Histories, Book 8]
® Sparta “proclaimed that their aim was the liberation of Hellas” [Thucydides, 2.8]
® Sparta had a reputation of getting rid of tyrants (although they would then impose oligarchies like they did at Athens).
® “The Athenians also feared that their allies would revolt, since Brasidas was […] constantly declaring wherever he went that his mission was the liberation of Hellas”. This and Athens’ defeat at Delium (424) inspired them and they “begging him to march on their territory” [Thucydides]
® Counter: T412/11 treaties they make with Persia go against this as it hands over many territoties to Persia, including their allies Boeotia, but they in part make up in the third treaty as they say “it was
intolerable for any agreement to stand under which the King was to rule over all the states that ever had been ruled over in the past by himself or by his fathers” [Thucydides, 8.52]
Describe spartas strength of Persian money (3)
® Persian money needed as “we have no public funds” [Thucydides, 1.80]
® “he made the ships of his enemies empty” by having Cyrus pay the sailors 4 obols instead of 3. [Plutarch, Life of Lysander, 4]
® Cyrus “gave to Lysander all the tribute which came in from his cities and belonged to him personally”
Describe Spartas weakness of Oliganthropia (6)
® The Spartans try to make a truce with Athens due to Sphacteria but Cleon’s unreasonable terms prevent this succeeding. [Thucydides, 4.21-2]
® “The Spartans order you to make your own decision about yourselves, so long as you do nothing dishonourable” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 4.38]
® 292 of the 440 hoplites at Sphacteria were captured alive and 120 of these were of the Spartan officer class. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 4.38]
® The Peace of Nicias is made because Sparta wants to get the captured prisoners back and so it becomes more of a treaty between Sparta and Athens than the Peloponnesian League and Athens, which is evidenced by how they could alter the treaty without consulting their allies. [Thucydides]
® Sparta is “slow to go to war” +“when one is deprived of one’s liberty one is right in blaming not so much the man who puts the fetters on as who had the power to prevent him, but did not use it” (432 Corinthian complaint) [Thucydides]
® “Do not force the rest of us in despair to join a different alliance” [Thucydides, 1.71]
Describe Spartas weakness of helot threats (7)
® Pheidippides is sent to Sparta for help during Marathon but they are slow to get there and their 2000 soldiers only get there after the battle had finished, which could have been due to a Helot threat, although an alternative explanation was they wanted to Athens fall. [Herodotus, Book 6]
® Platea helped Athens at Marathon because they had an alliance that was formed years ago when they needed help, and the Spartans were unwilling to help because Boeotia was too far. [Herodotus]
® “The Spartans were also glad to have a good excuse for sending some of their helots out of the country [because] … they feared a revolution” [Thucydides, 4.80]
® Invasions into Declea during the Archidamian War don’t last more than a few weeks, with the shortest one being just 15 days (stopped early due to Sphacteria) and longest was 40. One reason being that the Peloponnesian allies were farmers too so they had to get home in time to harvest their own crops as the invasions usually took place during the harvesting season. [Thucydides]
® Conference of Samos: “it was accordingly proposed by the Peloponnesian leader to turn out the Greeks who had supported Persia and settle the Ionian in their commercial centres” because they don’t think it’s possible to permanently defend Ionia, and they are far from it. [Herodotus, Book 9]
® Leotychides and the Peloponnesians go home when they see bridge across Hellespont is down, Athenians under Xanthippus want to keep fighting, so go to besiege Sestos [Herodotus, Book 9]
® Spartans have helots pick 2000 with best military service and massacre them behind a temple. [Thucydides]
Describe spartas weakness of corruptibility of leaders (5)
® “They feared that when their officers went overseas they would become corrupted” [Thucydides]
® Pausanias was seen “dressed in the Persian style of clothing” [Thucydides 1.130]
® “Perikles had ten talents sent annually to Sparta, and that by looking after the authorities in Sparta in this way he deferred the war” [Plutarch, Life of Pericles, 23]
® “Pleistoanax… was exiled because he was supposed to have been bribed to retreat from Attica” after Euboea revolted. (446) [Thucydides]
® Counter: Not all Spartan leaders were inherently corrupt. Plutatch Life of Lysander shows Lysander died a poor man despite having had access to vast amounts of money from the Persians and even the Ionian cities fighting alongside Peloponnesian League
Describe persias strength of money (2)
® Cyrus “gave to Lysander all the tribute which came in from his cities and belonged to him personally” [Xenophon, Hellenica, 2.1.13]
® “he made the ships of his enemies empty” by having Cyrus pay the sailors 4 obols instead of 3. [Plutarch, Life of Lysander, 4]
Describe persias strength of quantity of troops (4)
® The Athenians know that “the Persian strength is many times greater than our own [but]… such is our love of freedom” [Herodotus Histories 8.143]
® “in courage and strength they were as good as their adversaries, but they were deficient in armour, untrained and greatly inferior in skill” [Herodotus Histories 9.62]
® Herodotus describes the Theban’s as “Persia’s firm friends” at Platea.
® In the 2nd Persian Invasion, Darius asks for “earth and water” and most cities medize, meaning some Persian’s forces are Greek as the Persians went to the islands [Herodotus, Book 6
Describe persias weakness of inferir quality of troops (3)
® Xerxes “had in his army many men, indeed, but few soldiers” [Herodotus Histories 7.210]
® “the Persians using shorter spears than the Greeks and having no advantage from their numbers” [Herodotus Histories 7.211]
® Persian losses at Platea: “of the 300,000 men … not 3000 survived” [Herodotus Histories 9.70]
Describe Persias weakness of fighting far from home (4)
® Artabanus says Xerxes’ greatest enemies are “the land and the sea” [Herodotus, 7.49]
® “Fighting in a confined space favours us but the open sea favours the enemy” [Herodotus, 8.60b]
® “His reason for abandoning Attica was that it was bad country for cavalry” [Herodotus 9.13]
® Salamis makes Xerxes runaway (as he feared being cut off from the Helespont) leaving behind Mardonius with a force of 300,000 to subjugate Greece [Herodotus, Book 8]
Describe persias weakness of greeces hatred of their rule (4)
® Reasons for Ionian Revolt (499-494): rise of democracy, heavy tribute, loss of independence, internal disputes, economic and commercial decline
® “no further hostile measures were undertaken by the Persians against Ionia” [Herodotus, Book 6]
® Herodotus called the Battle of Mycale (479) “the second Ionian Revolt”
® (412/11) Third treaty: “it was intolerable for any agreement to stand under which the King was to rule over all the states that ever had been ruled over in the past by himself or by his fathers” [Thucydides]
