Mycale

Question 1

What were the Greek naval movements after Salamis? What did this allow Xerxes to do?

Answer 1

• The Greek fleet chased the Persian fleet as far as Euboea, but then turned around to dock and winter the ships in the winter of 480 BC
• This allowed Xerxes to escape back across the Hellespont and the Persian fleet to sail to Samos

Question 2

What did Pausanias do in 479 BC? What did the Greek fleet do? Why? Under whose leadership?

Answer 2

• Pausanias marched to meet the Persians at Plataea
• The Greek fleet sailed to Samos
• The Samians had promised to revolt if given assistance by the other Greeks
• The Spartan King Leotychidas

Question 3

Due to not wanting to risk their already damaged fleet, what did the Persians do? What did the Greeks do next?

Answer 3

• They retreated to the bay off Mt Mycale, not imagining that the Greeks would follow them
• The Greeks followed them, docked their ships nearby and moved inland on foot

Question 4

What did the Persians do when the Athenians arrived? What happened next?

Answer 4

• They tried to defend their military encampment, but once they saw the Spartans encircling on the left, they retreated back through the mountain passes

Question 5

What did the Milesians, who had been tasked with defending the pass, do?

Answer 5

• They switched sides

Question 6

How did the events at Mycale affect the Persians?

Answer 6

• Their losses were great and the surviving army was forced to retreat as far back as Sardis

Question 7

What did the Greeks do once they had driven the Persians away?

Answer 7

• They sailed back to Samos and decided upon the next course of action with regards to the liberated Ionians

Question 8

What is revealed of the relationship between the Persians and the Ionians at this stage of the war? Why did the Persians not trust the Samians? What did they subsequently do?

Answer 8

• It is shown to be a distrustful relationship
• The Persians did not trust the Samians because they had set free Athenian captives earlier on in the war
• The Persians took away their armour

Question 9

Why did the Persians send the Milesians to guard the mountain pass?

Answer 9

• They feared that they would defect in battle

Question 10

What proclamation did the Spartan king Leutychides make to the Ionians? What does Herodotus say of this?

Answer 10

• He encouraged them to join with the Greeks against the Persians
• “The purpose of this act: either the message would be unknown to the barbarians and would prevail with the Ionians, or if it were thereafter reported to the barbarians. it would cause them to mistrust their Greek allies”

Question 11

What plans do the Spartans propose to help the Ionians? (2 Herodotus quotes and 1 point)

Answer 11

• “they debated it in council over the removal of all Greeks from Ionia”
• “for it seemed impossible to stand on guard between the Ionians and their enemies forever”
• It would be easier to protect the Ionians this way because in Asia Minor they were too far away to help easily

Question 12

What does Herodotus say of the Athenians’ attitude towards the Spartan proposition to remove all Greeks from Ionia? Why do you think this is?

Answer 12

• “The Athenians disliked the whole plan”
• The Athenians did not want to be told what to do and had bound their allies by pledge to remain faithful and not desert their allies