Da Greeks Flashcards
Darius
Persian king from 522BC - 486BC
He set up satrapies (governors)
Taxed each nation
The “kings eye” were officers who would report anything out of line to the king
Power within the Persian empire
Organised and controlled system
The king was considered divine
The empire became further organised under Darius
The Ionian revolt
Athenians developed democracy
The Ionians wanted democracy too
But the Persians levied heavy taxes on the people
The Ionians didn’t want to fight for a foreign king
Forms of government
Tyranny - single ruler
Democracy - the people have the power and elect a ruler
Oligarchy - a group of wealthy people take control
The outline of the revolt
- The people chose to rise up against their oligarchic masters and asked aristagoras for help
- While he dawdled, the Ionians built up their defences and this destroyed his reputation in Persia
- he asks for help from the Athenians and the Eretrians
- Aristagoras flees to Thrace and Miletus is defeated
- Still democracy is brought about in the end
The battle of marathon intro
First time the Persians were proved to be beatable
Darius sent messengers asking for “earth and water” but the Athenians refused
Medising
The submission of states under pressure from Persian might
Connections between the Ionian revolt and the battle of marathon
- when the Athenians burned Sardis he fired a arrow into the air and swore revenge
- although Herodotus’ links are given to make the Athenians seem greater and important
Persian preparations against Greece
- Demaratus of Sparta and Hippias the tyrant betrayed Greece and helps the Persians
- Assembles a force of 600 triremes, 25000 infantry
Role of Hippias
He directed the Persians to marathon
Hippias wanted to regain a position of power within Greece
The tooth oracle
The role of the Spartans and the Plataeans
Ten generals commanded including Miltiades and Callimachus
Asked the Spartans for help but they were celebrating so couldn’t help
The Plataeans decided to help as they were close by and they’d been helped before by the Athenians
The progress of the battle
Only record comes from Herodotus
- the generals took turns to command for a day
- the Greeks decided attack first as Miltiades persuaded Callimachus
- thin middle but strong flanks and pice red the enemy
- Persians got their asses whooped
- death toll was 6400 Persians and 192 Greeks
Reasons for persian defeat
Unable to use cavalry
Not good close combat fighters
Poor armour
The significance of the battle of marathon fo da Athenians
- Gave the Athenians the courage to take a more prominent role in Greece
- Showed that the Persians weren’t as scary as they were thought to be
- Became a military force to be reckoned with
The Delian league
- After the defeat of the Persians in 479 BC, the Athenians began a defensive league called the Delian league
- Anyone who was a member would pay tribute and get insured against a Persian attack
- Over time this league turned into an empire for the Athenians
Reasons for Xerxes’ expedition against the Greeks
- Wanted to finish the job left by his father
- Desire to expand the empire
- Help establish his status as a king
- Mardonius persuaded Xerxes that –Europe was a place to be ruled by the Persian king himself
- Pressure from ex Athenian tyrants
Greek identity
After the battle of salamis the Persians offered a peace treaty with the Greeks
However, both the Spartans and the Athenians rejected the offer saying they would not desert the Greek community
The Greeks were similar but not politically united
The Hellenic league
- As Persian attacks progressed, Greeks started to draw out their common identity
- The Persian identity was weak as their army consisted of many different races
- 31 states met at the isthmus and agreed to punish those unfaithful Greeks
- Resolved to end civil wars
- Chose to fight at Thermopylae and Artemisium because communication was easier
The battle of Artemisium
Relatively small but significant victory
The action was when fifteen Persian ships had fallen behind, they sailed towards the Greeks thinking them to be allies
The Greeks captured them and from then on decided to test the Persian seamen ship
Battle of Thermopylae (7)
- 480BC
- Leonidas and 6500 Greeks camped in the path
- Xerxes waited for four days thinking they would retreat but this didn’t happen
- Infuriated he begins the battle but gets beaten back each time
- A Greek traitor shows the Persians a shortcut and they get behind
- Leonidas makes his last stand as the Persians rain arrows onto them
- The battle was a defeat but showed the true heroism of the fellow Greeks
The battle of salamis buildup
After the victory at Thermopylae, the Persians plundered all cities in their way including Athens
Themistocles advised the Athenians to abandon the city and to take their ships to salamis
The Hellenic league installed Eurybiades as fleet commander despite half the fleet being Athenian
The battle of salamis advantages according to Thermistocels (4)
- Narrow space benefits the Greeks
- Able to protect women and children at the same time
- Could defend the Peloponnese
- A naval victory would be a turning point
Thermistocles’ mysterious plan
He sent a man called sicinnus to persuade the Persians that they were escaping that night
Thermistocles could’ve realised that it was now or never, as the greek unity was falling apart
The battle of salamis
- The Persians advanced through salamis and were tightly packed
- The Athenians attacked the Phoenicians and cut them off
- The Persians were defeated as the Greeks knew the waters well and their ships were more manoeuvrable
- After this, Mardonius was appointed to lead the campaign
