Darius' Expeditions Flashcards
(36 cards)
Where did Mardonius’ expedition in 492 invade?
North of Greece (Thrace, Mt. Athos)
How did Mardonius’ troops cross into Greece?
Through the hellespont
Why did Mardonius withdraw from his expedition?
He was attacked by the Brygi tribe (Thracians) after being shipwrecked on Mt. Athos - the combined losses of his troops and himself being wounded caused his retreat
What were the successes of Mardonius’ expedition?
Conquered lands of Macedon and Thrace
Why did Darius order the expeditions into Greece?
To destroy and enslave Athens + Eretria for their assistance in the Ionian Revolt
What was the purpose of Darius asking for ‘earth and water’ from the Greek states in 491?
To test how much resistance an expedition into Mainland Greece would be depending on how many states surrendered
And to have an excuse to invade the states who refused to surrender
Which major city state does give Darius ‘earth and water’? And who did it anger?
Aegina
It angers Athens (starts Athens-Sparta alliance)
When was the Datis expedition? And what were his goals?
490
Reduce Athens + Eretria to slavery
How many triremes does Herodotus claim Datis’ expedition have?
600 triremes
Where does Datis’ expedition sail through? Why did it differentiate from Mardonius’ path?
From Samos across the Icarian sea through the Cyclades (specifically Naxos)
To avoid the same failings that occurred in Thrace and Mt. Athos under Mardonius
What did Datis’ troops do to Naxos once arrival?
Naxos offered no resistance, allowing the Persians to enslave the city and burn their temples
Which city did the Persians intentionally spare? And why?
Delos
Due to sacred ground as it was the birthplace of Apollo + Artemis
What happened in Delos according to Herodotus? Who contradicts this?
An earthquake hit Delos according to oracles and Herodotus
Thucydides disagrees with this, and states this earthquake happened later down the line (before the Peloponnesian War)
What happened with Carystus during the Datis expedition?
They refuse to medise and give troops to the Persians
Under siege by the Persians until they gave in to Persian command
Who did Eretria ask for help during the Datis expedition? Does it work out?
They ask for Athenian help and once they arrive - told by Aeschines to just go home and focus on themselves (warned of the inevitability of Eretria falling)
What happened to Eretria during the Datis expedition?
Fought the Persians for 6 days (many losses on both sides)
Betrayed by two well-known Eretrians (7th day)
Persians successfully invade, strip all the temples, burnt the town and enslaved the inhabitants
Where did the Persians decide to land their troops after besieging Eretria? And who directed them?
Ex-tyrant of Athens. Hippias, directs the Persians to land at Marathon
What was Militades’ background leading up to Marathon? What was his advantage against the Persians?
Former tyrant of the Chersonese
One of the ten strategoi/generals in Athens
Insider information on Persian tactics
Who was Pheidippides?
Athenian Herald who ran from Marathon to Athens to inform them of the victory at the Battle of Marathon
Also ran to Sparta from Athens in 2 days to request help for Persian Invasion (Sparta arrive late)
Inspired the modern Olympic ‘marathon’
Who did Pheidippides encounter during his run from Sparta back to Athens
The God, Pan, who inquired why the Athenians had paid him no attention
The Athenians responded by building Pan a shrine
This is an example of Herodotus’ unreliability and indulging in the supernatural
How did the Spartans respond to Pheidippides’ plea for help during the build-up to Marathon?
Refusal to break their laws - could not make the battle until the full moon
What does Herodotus claim Hippias dreamt of? What does this tell us about Herodotus’ story-telling?
Hippias dreamt of sleeping with his mother, and he interprets this as him returning back to being Tyrant of Athens and die peacefully of old age
This is another example of Herodotus’ using the supernatural to make the story more interesting (unreliable)
When the Persians land at Marathon, what happens to Hippias and what does this foreshadow?
Hippias’ teeth fall out into the sand, and he loses it - this is taken as a sign that the Persians will lose at Marathon (Herodotus’ unreliability shining through once again)
Which city state was aligned with Athens? And why?
Platea
They had conflict with Thebes - Sparta advised them to align with Athens due to shared hatred of Thebes (Sparta did this to cause ‘quarrels’ - This is Herodotus’ reasoning and is reliable)
