Herodotus Book 8 Flashcards
What place were the Greeks having a council of war at?
Salamis
What was the meeting about?
What area they should have a naval battle on
Why did many want to go to the Isthmus instead of Salamis?
They thought that they would be beseiged on Salamis where no help would come to them.
What did the persians do to attica?
Burn it
Who was defending the Temple in Athens?
Poor men and stewards.
How did the athenians defend themselves?
They rolled boulders down to the persians
How did the persians overcome this athenian defence?
They found an entrance through the back where it was unguarded
What did the persians do to the acropolis?
Plundered the temple and set fire to the acropolis
Who did xerxes send a messenger to after the win at athens?
Artabanus
What did xerxes make the Athenian exiles do and why?
Go up onto the acropolis and make sacrifices according to their own customs.
Either because he felt guilty or had a dream
What happened when the athenians made these sacrifices?
They saw an olive tree that had been burnt down shoot up again
Once the Greeks had learnt what had happened to Athens, what did they want to do?
Go to Isthmus
Themistocles reported to Mnesiphilos what the Greeks wanted to do. Why didnt Mnesiphilos think this was a good idea?
Because if they left Salamis the Greeks would go their separate ways to their own cities
To whom did T go to report the advice of M?
Eurybiades
What did T say to E about why leaving Salamis was a bad idea?
Because they would be fighting on open water which would disadvantage the Greeks as their ships are fewer in number
What advantages does T list about staying to fight at Salamis?
They could fight in narrow straits, which would benefit the Greeks and they wouldnt lose Salamis, Megara and Aegina a
How did the Corinthian man attack T?
He said that he had no right to talk when he doesnt have a state of his own, as Athens was burnt down
How did T respond to the attack of the Corinthian man?
He said that Athens had a greater city than his anyways ad they had 200 ships
Where does T tell E the Athenians will sail to if they dont chamge the plan?
Italy
Why does E change his mind?
Because he’s worried of losing the help of the Athenians and their ships.
Who does Xerxes send to see what his people think of starting a naval battle?
Mardonius
Who opposes the idea of starting a naval battle?
Artemisia
Why does Artemisia oppose the idea of starting a naval battle?
Because the Greeks are better than the persians at sea
Why does Artemisia think a land battle will secure a Persian win?
Because the greeks wont be able to hold out for long and will flee. Also no food supplies on the island