Topic 1: The challenge of the Persian Empire492-479 Flashcards
1
Q
Herodotus as a source
A
- Born in a Greek city that was under Persian control.
- He wrote the book Histories several decades after the Persian was
- He was often hostile to Athens’ enemies (Corinth and Thebes)
- Used mainly oral sources
- Considered the father of history
- He did systematic investigations of historic events, criticised for fanciful accounts.
- His role was to record what people had said, whether it was true or not had little value.
2
Q
Darius’ demands and Mardonius’ campaign
A
- In 491 Darius demanded eath and water from Greek cities.
- This was a symbolic gesture that showed Greeks’ submission.
- Aegina did it.
- Others were critical and refused.
- This submission was known as medise.
- Herodotus - Athens threw the messenger into a pit like a criminal
- Herodotus - Sparta pushed them into a well.
3
Q
The first Persian invasion of 490 -
Battle of Marathon
Aims
A
- Lead by Datis with 600 ships and 25,000 soldiers.
- First captured Naxos, then Eretria.
- Next they wanted to capture marathon in Attica, then Athens.
- This plan was developed from Hippias, Athenian tyratn who was overthrown.
- Athens selected 10 general to ight bac, most important is Miltiades.
- Darius’ aim was tto reduce Athens to slavery and bring them before the king.
4
Q
First Persian invasion - events 1
A
- People left Delso. Darius said to spare them and burnt frankensense as an offering to Apollo and Artemis as it was their birth land.
- After there was an earthquake, which the oracle had predicted.
- After they went around to other islands, taking children as hostages.
- The pople of Eretria asked Athena for help, and they sent help.
- Someone said they should leave to avoid the bigger pronlems so they did.
- The Eretrians tried to defend their walls from Persia.
- There was six days of fighting, and on the seventh the town was betrayed to the enemy.
5
Q
First Persian war -
Events 2
A
- Pesians burned down temples in Eretria as revenge fo the burnt temples in Sardis.
- After they mastered Eretria they waited a few days a d went fpr Attica, confident in their victory.
- The tenth Athenian general, Miltiades, and the messenger Pheidippides was sent to sparta to ask for help
- The Spatans wanted to help but waited for the full moon, while Hippias guided the army to Marathon.The Plataeans asked Spata for sprotection, but they said they were too fa so better off with the Athenians. They took this advise.
- Miltiades gave a moving speech to Callimachus to make Athens freee and was successful.
- The struggle of Marathon was dawn out, but the Athenians won, but Callimachus was killed.Afterwads the Athenians hurried to Athens as the Persians were on their way, they marched back which forced Darius to return to Persia.
6
Q
First Persian war -
Outcome
A
- Athenians wee outnumbered 2 to 1 but still won
- They won before Sparta arrived so it was a special victory.
- Miltiades dedicated his helmet to Zeus as a thanks
- Suspicion divided the Greeks because of the sheild signal.
- Herodotus says that he doesnt believe it to be the aristocrats who did thwe signal
- He sasy it was they who bribed the oracle at Delphi to tell the Spartans to set Athens free
- He says a sheilf was held up, butby who is unknown.
7
Q
The second Persian invasion 480 - 479 -
Causes/Xerxes
A
- Two things stood in their way, the Egypt relebllion and King Darius dying.
- Replaced by Xerxes, who Herodotus says is immature and arrogant.But he writes speeches he cant of been there for.
- Mardonius advised for, while Artabanus argued against.
- Mardonius’ reason was from self interest and love of mischeif and adventure.
- Prophecies were rad to him about Persia’s triumph but other were avoided.
- Xerxes intended to bridge the Hellspoint and march an army through Europe into Greece.
- Artabanus said to be careful, thee wasnt neccesarily beef with the Athenians.
- Xerxes in the end said that hed rather take action and lose than be too cowadly to take any action at all.
8
Q
Formation of the Hellenic league.
A
- Doffeent states had different stengths so they thuoght theyd band together
- Those who submitted to Persia would be punished and a tenth of their property to the god at Delphi.
- Xerxes refained from sending another messanger to Athens and Sparta.
- If the Athenians had given in no one would of fought the Persians.So Gecce was saved by Athens.
- They asked for a second prophecy at Delphi as the fist one sucked.
- Themistocles interpreted the second oracle diffeently to get followers.
- He then persuaded them to to spend money from mines at Laurium on war ships instead of distributing it.
9
Q
Four major battles -
Thermopylae 480
A
- They wanted to stop the Persians at the narrow pass called Thermopylae but couldnt agree on hoq to oppose them.
- It was a relgios time of yea for Spatans so only 300 accompanied the 7000 troops. Xerxes had 80,000, sure of victory.
- Day 1 - Xerrxes sends weaker army, and then immortals, who were defeated.
- Day 2 - The Persians tried to attack again but were again defeated. Mountain path.
- Day 3 - Almost all Spartans were killed, including Leonidas.
- Herodotus does not think the troops deserted, rrather they were dismissed by Leonidas and the oracle had said live to fight another day.
- The Spatans and Leonidas were immortalised by Sparta but it was a Persian victory. Persians were clear to attack Attica.
10
Q
Four major battles -
Salamis - 480
A
- Spartan commander Eurybiades was chosen to lead as if it was an Athenian they would just quarell.
- The Persians had burnt down everything, icluding temples and fams.
- Themistocles argued tat fighting at Salamis was best as the oracle predicted a victory there and the gods would be on their sides.
- The Persians couldnt control the seas around Greece so couldnt supply their soldiers which led to their defeat.
- Artemesia’s advice was to let Madonius have 300,000 men to defeat Athens so that either way Xerxes would be safe at home.
- Xerxes decided to withdraw the Persian forces and offeent Athens a generous peace treaty if they accepted Persian rule.
- Athens declined, but was grateful to Sparta for their help.
11
Q
Plataea - 479 BC
A
•After salamis the Persians remained in the northern Greece to get revenge on Athens.
•Herodotus tells us that the Athenians beleived that Sparta had broken their word by not sedimg an army in Boeotia.
•The growing tention between Athens and Sparta added to the division of Greek states. Thebes was working with the Persians.
•It qas predicted that many Persians would die.
•The relationships betweek greeks and greek and Persians were strained as they didnt know who their allies were.
•Herodotus- the Persians qere deficient in armour, untrained and greatly inferior in skill
•Herodotus - the persian contingent fought best.
12
Q
Mycale - 479 BC
A
•The Persians went to Mycale and beached their ships to form a defense.
•The ionian Greeks switched sides to the Greeks amwhuch led to a greek victory.
•The spartans wanted the Persians to distrust the Ionians and were successful.
•Herodotus - doesnt credit the Spartans with the victory, mainly to the Athenians.
•Sparta said to relocate the Ionians hut Athens kept them at Mycale to form a confederacy.
13
Q
Sources
A
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