The Greeks at War Flashcards
What did King Darius do for the Persian Empire?
- 20 provincial governorships or satrapies
- each nation within empire was assessed for taxes
What was the ‘Kings Eye’?
Senior officials who reported to the King as a system to ensure that he knew what was going on throughout the empire. Anything out of line would be punished.
What did Herodotus say about Persian customs?
- Particularly willing to adopt customs from other cultures.
- boys education lasts from 5 - 20
- they were taught three things: to ride, to use a bow and to speak the truth.
- they regarded telling lies as more disgraceful than anything else (next to that, owing money).
How does Herodotus describe the nature of Persian society and the power and position of the King?
In his writings he says that they would recognize whether people were of the same rank as they met one another in the following way:
- Kiss each other on the lips if neither is inferior.
- Kiss on the cheeks if there is small difference
- Falls to ground and prostrates himself before the other if one is much less noble than the other.
What were Xerxes’ motivations to attack Greece?
- duty bound to complete his father’s work.
- wanted to increase size of empire and to establish his status as king.
- fighting away from home was good to avoid rebellions.
- Mardonius persuaded him to attack as the Athenians had injured the Persians.
- Mardonius says that Europe is so beautiful that it should be ruled by Xerxes.
- others persuaded him by using the Onomacritus to give him prophecies.
What did the poet Pindar say about the battle of Artemisium?
The battle of Artemisium was where “the sons of the Athenians set down the shining corner-stone of freedom”
What were Herodotus’ calculations about the Persian navy in Artemisium?
- 1207 ships
- 241,400 men
- each ship had 30 fighting men
- 3000 penteconters with 80 men each.
- total Persian force = 517,610 men
How does Herodotus describe the Spartan’s attitude at Thermoylae?
They were ‘fighting recklessly and with no thought for their own lives’
What did Mnesiphilus say to Themistocles?
He told him that if the fleet left Salamis then they would lose the consensus they had gained. Each state would go in their own direction and Greece would be lost.
What were the 4 arguments Themistocles used to persuade the Greeks to fight at Salamis?
- Narrow space would benefit the Greeks
- women and children could be protected on the island and on Aegina.
- defence of the Peloponnese: they would be able to defend the Peloponnese just as much as fighting at the Isthmus.
- Naval victory would be a turning point: if Greeks won at sea then the Persians would retreat.
What factors gave the Greeks an advantage in Salamis?
- narrow space meant that the smaller Greek fleet had an advantage.
- few Persian ships could face their enemy at any on time.
- crowded space meant that combatants found it difficult to make use of their naval skills.
- Persians didn’t know the waters as well as the Greeks
What was one main danger for the Greeks as highlighted from Herodotus’ account of Sicinnus’ words?
If the Greeks broke up as their unity as a fighting force would be destroyed.
Reasons for the failure of Xerxes’ expedition: (4)
- Greeks were fighting for their homeland. They loved freedom and thought of losing their homes drove them to fight harder (most important idea for Herodotus).
- Persian forces didn’t have this spirit. They were fighting (in the view of the Greeks) as slaves to their master. Fighting against there own will. Felt no affinity to the empire.
- Size of Xerxes’ expedition required large amounts of food and material. Further they were from Persia, the more difficult it was to maintain supplies.
- How important was Greece to Xerxes? Herodotus wanted to emphasise the importance of the conflict from the Greek side but it may not have been important for Xerxes. He already had a large empire and he had little to gain by continuing the attack. May have decided to cut his losses after Salamis and withdraw.
What did Miltiades do before the battle of Marathon?
- He was an archon (leading official).
- Sent by Hippias to subdue the Chersonese. He did this and ruled there, submitted to King Darius’ authority and took part in Darius’ expedition against the Scythians.
- Driven out of Chersonese by Scythian invasion and joined Ionian revolt.
- Tried for being a tyrant and then acquitted and elected as general.
What did Miltiades do after the battle of Marathon?
Led an Athenian fleet against the Island of Paros.
Failed to take the town and was severely injured.
Returned home to be brought to trial for his failure and fined 50 talents.
Died shortly afterwards from gangrene.
