In today's episode we take a look at the final moves that both Greece and Persia made on the eve of their war. Themistocles and Aristides take center stage as they maneuver through the political scene of Athens, but with the success of the Themistoclean naval policy, we discuss how the Greeks may have rapidly built up their navy. We consider the Greek congress of city-states, their relative lack of support, and the final measures they took to try and recruit allies. We also consider a canal project and pontoon bridges that Xerxes had built to aid his army and navy as they both marched and sailed west to Greece. We conclude with a rather bizarre scene where the Persians try to beat the Hellespont into subjection and, ultimately, they all make it over into Europe. The stage is set for the final Greco-Persian War.
Sources
- Aristotle, Athenian Constitution, 22.2.
- Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit, Persian Canal Discovery is Testament to Ancient Engineering Skills, N.Y. Times, Nov. 13, 2001.
- Hale, John R., Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy (2009).
- Hammond, N.G.L., A History of Greece to 322 BC (1967).
- Herodotus, The Histories (Robert Strassler, Ed., Andrea Purvis, Transl., 2007).
- Holland, Tom, Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West (2005).
- Isserlin, B. S. J., et al. “The Canal of Xerxes: Summary of Investigations 1991-2001.” The Annual of the British School at Athens, vol. 98, 2003, pp. 369–385.
- Martin, Thomas R., Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times (1996).
- Miles, Richard, Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization (2010).
- Morrison, J.S., et al, The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship (2nd edition, 2000).
- Nepos, Lives of Eminent Commanders, Themistocles, para. 6.
- Paine, Lincoln, The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World (2013).
- Peck, Rosemary, Athenian Naval Finance in the Classical Period: The trierarchy, its place in Athenian society, and how much did a trieres cost?, March 2001, BA Dissertation.
- Plutarch, Life of Aristides in The Parallel Lives.
- Plutarch, Life of Themistocles in The Parallel Lives.
- Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War.
- Strauss, Barry, Salamis: The Battle that Saved Greece--and Western Civilization (2004).
One Response
Just to say thank you for providing another fine source for insights into maritime influence on world development.
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