historical periods Flashcards
The Greek World 500-400 BC
what is the chronological and geographical context of ancient Greece in the Mediterranean and the Near East?
- chronological: 5th century, tyrants trying to take over, Athens promised help from Persians; Peloponnesian alliance; dispute between Athens and Sparta; Ionian Greeks under Coche, had a revolt
- geographical: Peloponnese, other mainland Greeks, Ionian Greeks; Near East (Persepolis unit); expansion- Cyrus, Cambyses, Darius
what were key powers in the region of ancient Greece and what was the nature of its contact with other societies?
Thebes, Sparta; other societies; violent and antagonistic- Spartans had conflict with others, Persians conquered, Ionians revolted, Persians invaded
what were the major battles of the Persian Wars?
- battle of Marathon
- battle of Thermopylae
- battle of Artemisium
- battle of Salamis
- battle of Plataea
- battle of Mycale
what were the origins of Persian imperialism?
Cyrus the Great created the Persian empire, and defeated Media, Lydia, Babylonia, Palestine and the Ionian cities of Asia Minor; his son Cambyses took Egypt, and Cambyses’ son Darius conquered Thrace through to Macedonia and consolidated Eastern borders to the Indus (Afghanistan); Darius begun an invasion into Greece in 490 BC, and following his death, his son Xerxes continued the expedition in 480-479 BC
what were the origins of the Ionian Revolt?
the Ionians were Greeks who traced origins back to Attica and thus felt a kinship to Athenians; were under the yoke of Lydian tyrant Croesus who allowed them to remain relatively independent as long as they maintained their tribute to him; Cyrus the Great invited Ionians to revolt against Croesus but they wouldn’t, so he sent his generals to besiege the Ionian cities (Sharwood-Smith)
what occurred in the Battle of Marathon?
the battle of Marathon occurred in 490 BC; the Athenians were afraid of the Persian cavalry, and believed themselves unfit to fight without the Spartans; despite this, Greek general Miltiades caused the Greeks to ultimately win, although it was understood that Darius would return for revenge; the Parthenon is believed to have been built in celebration of Greek’s victory
what was the role of Miltiades in the Battle of Marathon?
Miltiades convinced polemarch Kallimachos that they needed to fight the Persians so as to not have Athens be enslaved; in the battle, he came up with the strategy of drawing Persians in by situating themselves so that the wings had strong forces, whilst the middle only had a few people; they the surrounded the Persians and cut them down as the Persians fled back to their ships
how did Persia prepare for the Persian Wars?
Herodotus states that Xerxes had to be convinced by Mardonias that invading Greece was a good idea; he then had the Hellespont Bridge built and built a canal at Mount Athos peninsula, along with building roads with regular silos
how did Greece prepare for the Persian Wars?
to prepare for the war, the Hellenic League was formed, led by the Spartans as they had the greatest fighters; there were quarrels over where to meet the Persians, initially it the location for the war was Tempe in northern Greece, but the location ultimately decided was Thermopylae
what occurred in the Battle of Thermopylae?
the Battle of Thermopylae occurred in 480 BC; the battle is infamous for being primarily fought by Spartans, as other most other Greeks could not get to the battlefield; Leonidas led his Greeks from behind their fortification to a wider open ground, probably in order to expand the frontline to kill as many Persians as possible before their inevitable defeat arrived from their rear in the form of Ephialtes and the immortals; Leonidas died in the battle and Persia triumphed
what occurred in the Battle of Artemisium?
the Battle of Artemisium occurred in 480 BC; simultaneously with the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persian fleet approached the Greek contingent of 200 triremes led by Eurybiades at Artemisium, there to protect the flanks of their land forces; the Persians encircled the smaller Greek fleet expecting an easy victory, however, “the Greeks formed a tight circle, with their bows outward and stems to the centre, then at the second signal, with little room to manoeuvre and lying, as they were, bows on to the enemy, they set to work, and succeeded in capturing 30 Persian ships” (-Herodotus); Herodotus calls the battle a stalemate, however Plutarch claims Artemisium as “where the brave sons of Athens planted the shining cornerstone of their freedom”
what occurred in the Battle of Salamis?
the Battle of Salamis occurred in 480 BC; Herodotus writes that Eurybiades asked the Athenian council to decide where the most suitable place for a sea-battle was, to which most said the Isthmus, as if they were defeated at Salamis, they would be blocked up in the island where no hope could be brought to them; Themistocles persuaded Eurybiades on Salamis as the narrow passageway would have disadvantaged the Persians; the Persians ultimately withdrew from the battle, and the Greeks won
what occurred in the Battle of Plataea?
the Battle of Plataea occurred in 479 BC; Spartan regent Pausanias, acting as regent for his nephew, the son of Leonidas, led his allied army to Boeotia, with over 100000 troops but no cavalry; for weeks both sides did not want to leave their tactically chosen battlefield; Mardonius harassed the Greek centre with barrages of arrows, hoping to draw them out; Pausanias, unable to move his own Spartiates, sent a squadron of elite Athenian archers, who launched volleys back at the Persians; after more days of waiting, Mardonius ordered his men to attack, with the Athenians being the first to be caught by the medised Greeks; when the Spartans attacked, the Greeks ultimately “won the most splendid victory that history records” (-Herodotus)
what occurred in the Battle of Mycale?
the Battle of Mycale occurred in 479 BC; according to Herodotus, the Greek fleet was hesitant to go so far from the Greek mainland to fight to Persians closer to their own home, with Samian spies informing them that the Ionians were ready to revolt and that the Persian navy were in too poor a condition to resist; they sailed to Samos, but, after discovering the Persians had fled to Mycale, they chased them down; the Greeks landed at Mycale and advanced along the beach until they found the Persians, and in the battle many Ionians in the Persian contingent revolted, and the Greeks won the battle; Buckley states that “the revolt of the Ionians and their desire to join the Hellenic League would entail a radical change of military policy […]: an offensive war against Persia”
how was Athens evacuated prior to the battle of Salamis?
there are multiple theories on how Athens was evacuated for the battle, with Herodotus claiming that the fleet evacuated women and children from the city, implying that they were abandoned by the other Greeks who fled behind the Isthmus after only sending minimal forces in the first place- this puts Peloponnesians in a bad light; the Decree of Themistocles states that the evacuation was a carefully planned operation that relied on Thermopylae as a delaying action rather than a final battle, and that the evacuation was always going to happen- this supports Sparta’s strategy of only sending 300 soldiers, however Herodotus does not mention the decree; Sharwood-Smith writes that there was a decree for the evacuation, however some returned, causing a panic evacuation
what was the role of Themistocles in the Persian Wars?
- in 483 BC, according to Plutarch, argued during Athens’ war with Aegina, that the Athenians needed a larger fleet to control sea routes
- convinced the Athenians that a battle of Salamis was their best hope at repelling the Persian invasion
- led the Athenian contingent at Artemisium
- left messages to Ionians on withdrawal through Euboea
- created the Themistocles decree
- was responsible for the ruse on Xerxes in which he suggested that he himself was ready to change sides
what was the role of Leonidas in the Persian Wars?
- march to Thermopylae with 300 hand-picked Spartiates
- inspired military tactics to defend the pass
- dismissed main part of force once situation became hopeless
- decided that he and his men would fight to the death
- there was a fight for his body after his death
- burial and epitaph at Thermopylae
- his contribution at Thermopylae can be evaluated by the battle’s impact on subsequent events during the Persian invasion
what was the role of Pausanias in the Persian Wars?
- masterminded Greek victory at Plataea, despite having to hold together an army of 80000 men for weeks, having no food or water, and having to hold discipline amongst constant attack from Persian cavalry
- led the Persians to be driven out of Greece
- Plataea was the last of the defensive battles in Greece, and Persians did not step foot in Greece again
what was the role of Eurybiades in the Persian Wars?
- chief of Greek navy at Artemisium and Salamis, played a major role in Greece’s defence
- chosen as Peloponnesians were unwilling to fight under an Athenian commander
- dissuaded Themistocles from chasing Xerxes to the Hellespont (Herodotus)
- tactical mediator between Athenian and Peloponnesian contingents
why did Greece triumph in the Persian Wars?
- home ground advantage in Marathon, Salamis and Thermopylae, as they could meet in the narrows (Salamis), have better access to supplies and have time on their side
- strong leadership through Leonidas (Thermopylae), Eurybiades (Artemisium/Salamis), Themistocles (Salamis), Pausanias (Plataea), Miltiades (Marathon)
- Salamis would have disunited Greece, however it instead created circumvention by removing the naval threat
- exploited Persian supply issues
- tactics: weak middle, strong sides (Marathon), potential ruse (Salamis)
- unity between Athenian and Peloponnesian armies
- strong hoplite army
why did Persia lose in the Persian Wars?
- strong leadership through Xerxes (Thermopylae), Mardonius (Plataea)
- strong cavalry
- (can refer to points about Greek victory but flip them around)
what were the origins of the Delian League?
- Ionians needed protecting after second Ionian revolt and demanded membership of the Hellenic League
- Spartans objected
- Pausanias’ abrasive leadership put Ionians off Spartan leadership
- Ionians trusted Athenian leadership and virtue of Aristides; requested Athenian-led defensive alliance
- permanent oath taken on Aristides’ flagship
what were the aims of the Delian League?
- to protect Greek states who had revolted from the Persians (-Fine)
- to “free the Greeks from the Persians” (-Thucydides)
- for vengeance and compensation by ravaging the king’s territory (-Fine)
- “‘proskhema’ (‘object’ or ‘pretext’) being to compensate themselves for their losses by ravaging the territory of the king of Persia” (-Thucydides)
what was the organisation of the Delian League?
- Delos was the headquarters and treasury (-Meiggs)
- membership or ‘phoros’ (money) tribute; Aristides evaluated amounts to be contributed by each state (-Powell)
- congress; unilateral (majority vote) or bicameral (agreed upon by both parties); bicameral more likely as it guaranteed that decisions that Athens went against would not go through (-Buckley)
