GREECE &
PERSIA
Persia is the heir to a long
tradition of
empire in the Near East
ASSYRIAN
EMPIRE
to
1350
Old
Assyrian
1350-1000
Middle
Assyrian
c1230 Tukulti-Ninurta: defeats
Hittites,
subjugates Babylon
1115-77
Tiglath-pileser
I
1030-19
Shalmaneser
II
1000-609
Neo-Assyrian
966-935
Tiglath-pileser
II
934-912
Ashur-dan
II
911-891
Adad-nirari
II
890-884
Tukulti-Ninurta
II
883-859
Ashurnasirpal
II
858-824
Shalmaneser
III
823-811
Shamshi-Adad
V
810-783
Adad-nirari
III
782-773
Shalmaneser
IV
772-755
Ashur-dan
III
754-745
Ashur-nirari
V (sic)
744-727
Tiglath-pileser
III (renewal of Assyria after temporary decline)
733 conquest
of
Galilee
726-722
Shalmaneser
V
721-705
Sargon
II
720 sack
of
Hama (Aramaean) -- no Gk pottery inland afterward
704-681
Sennacherib
680-669
Esarhaddon
c674.
marries daughter to Scythian king
668-c30
Ashurbanipal
c630-c23
Ashur-etel-ilani
622?-12
Sin-Shar-ishkun
611-609
Ashur-uballit
II
612: Nineveh falls to
Babylonian/Median force =
end of Assyrian empire
Assyrian
territories apportioned among Babylon, Lydia, Medes, Egypt
LATE/NEO-BABYLONIAN
EMPIRE
604-562 Nebuchadrezzar II
605: Neb defeats forces of Pharoah Neco at Carchemish
561-560 Amel-Marduk
559-556 Neriglissar
556 Labashi-Marduk
555-539 Nabonidus
538 Cyrus II captures Babylon
MEDIA
late
8th c?
Deiokes:
lawgiver; builds Ekbatana (=ÔDaiukkuÕ in Assyr annals of
715?)
625-585
Cyaxares
585-550
Astyages
549
empire
conquered by Cyrus II
LYDIA/PHRYGIA
738-696/5?
Midas (Mita) of Phrygia
c.
680-c. 652 Gyges: his Memnad dynasty
fairly Philhellenic
c.
652-630 Ardys
c.
630-610 Sadyattes
c.
610-560 Alyattes:
destroys Smyrna ca. 600; absorbed by Kroisos
585
concludes
peace w/ Medes
c
560-46
Croeusus:
Gks pay cash tribute to Sardis
546
falls
to Cyrus II
Persian
(Achaemenid) state
cities/power centers: Pers rulers
exercise power
by travelling
Ekbatana
(summer capital?)
Persepolis
(main, new capital, transf fr Persagidai by Darius; where tribute goes)
Susa
(capital of Elamite territory, prob less impt--winter capital?)
Sardis
(Ionian ctr)
Babylon
kingship:
Zoroastrian principles; gardens as symbols of cosmos; gift-exchange
remote
fr subjects, but micromanage
main
aspects: patron; financial mgr; warlord; representative of god
Ahuramazda
satrapies: beg w/ Cyrus; local
govÕt forms
retained (cf Rome); tribute
Darius
I reorganizes into 20 tax districts (ÒnomoiÓ, Hdt 3.89-97)
records
refer to peoples rather than regions
military:
standing
central army (ÒThe 10,000Ó, 1000 being kinsman bodyguard
of king)
standing
satrapal armies (answer to king; satraps perhaps had personal armies)
tributary
fleets (Cypriot, Egyptian, Phoenician, Ionian)
troop
conscriptions (by satrap; retain local organizÕn; large #s, but
weak)
Persian (Achaemenid) rulers
c650-620:Teispes
(of Anshan)
c620-590:
Cyrus I (Kurash; Kurow)
c590-559
(550?): Cambyses I
559
(550?)-530: Cyrus II the Great (Hdt 1.108-130 on accession)
549:
conquers Astyages of Media, absorbs Median empire
546: conquers Croesus of Lydia: Lyds
had tribute
relationship w Ionian Gks
Cyrus
urges Gks to rebel before attacking; after grants special status to
Miletos
Lydian
Paktyes leads revolt; Gks aid and are punished; many flee
540: Pers ctrl of Asia Minor secure;
support
tyrants in Gk cities
539:
Cyrus II conquers Babylon, Palestine, Syria, Phoenicia, Libya
530:
Cyrus II dies fighting in NE Media
530-522:
Cambyses II
535:
conquers Egypt, w help of Phoenician fleet
522:
Kambyses II dies under mysterious circumstances
522:
Smerdis (Bardiya): ÒMagi ConspiracyÓ: final Median
opposition to Persians
520-486:
Darius I (son of Hystaspes, descendant of Achemenes)
=>
Behistun inscription: makes D legit Achaemenid ruler
=> marries
CambysesÕ wife Atossa; reorg
kingdom into 20 ÒsatrapiesÓ
c515:
Skythian invasion: Ionian Gk tyrants aid D
500:
Megabazus, then Otanes extend Persian hegemony in Thrace
by 500: Al Mina rebuilt and reopened;
Persians
encourage Gk trade
Ath
pots predominant, but probably arrive through (E Gk?) middlemen
coins:
Ath, Aig c500; a few Ionian and Cypriot
490: naval attack on Naxos, Athens
(Marathon)
486-465/4:
Xerxes I
Greek-Persian
conflict in the early fifth century: personalities
Athenians
Miltiades (II) (c560?-490): Philaidai
clan; nephew
of Milt (I), Ath enterprises in Chersonese under Peisistratids; archon
524/3; given
Chersonese command after brother Stesagoras; marries daughter of
Thracian King
Oloros; supports Pers in Skyth campaign; intrigues @ Lemonos during Ion
revolt,
for which tried for tyranny and acquitted; strategos 490/89; hero of
Marathon;
father of Kimon; dies fr wound during unsuccessful attack on Paros
Themistokles (c524-460): father
Lykominid
(regional agenda: Sounion), mother non-Ath; archon 493/2; perhaps assoc
w/
switch to sortition in archon appt 487/6; author of use of Laurion
silver to
build fleet in 483/2; urges Ath decampment to Salamis & hero of
battle
there; (tricks Pers into entering straits); ostracized 470, goes to
Argos;
accused by Sp of joining Pausanias in intries w/ Persia, flees to
Corcyra,
Epiros, Macedonia (Molossia); condemned to death in absentia in Ath;
post-465
made governor of Magnesia on the Meander by Artaxerxes; dies there
(natural or
suicide)
Aristides (c525?-c467): trad poor
though prob
cousin of arist Kallias; supporter of Kleisthenes; trad constructs as
upright
foil to wily Themist; archon 489; ostracized 483/s (AthPol 22.7) on
accusation
of Medism (M&L 21); hoplite cmmdr island of Psyttaleia in Salamis
battle
(Hdt 8.76, 95), and @ Plataia; aids Themist in tricking Sp as Ath
rebuild
walls; intial tribute assessment of Del Lg; then drops out of sight
Xanthippos (c525?-c472): husband of
KleisthenesÕ
niece Agariste; father of Perikles; prosecutes Miltiades (II) after
Paros;
ostracized484 (M&L 42); commands Ath contingent @ Mykale in 479;
leads Gk
attack on Sestos, captured by Pers
Eurybiades (?): commands Hellenic
League fleet at Artemisium and Salamis; overshadowed by Themistokles
Spartans
Kleomenes (I) (reigning Agiad
c520-490): role in
attempt to depose Polykrates? 511-5, meddling in Ath affairs; 499
refuses to
get involved in Ion Rev; 494 (or 496?): victory @ Sepeia,
panhellenizing stance
(sacrifice @ Argive Heraion), K acquitted on chg of not destroying
Argos (Hdt
6.76-8, 7.148); 491 prosecutes Aigina for Medism; latter event shows
his
hostility to Eurypontid king Demaratos, whom he deposes and (has
replaced?)
with sympathetic Leotychides
Demaratos
(reigning Eurypontid c ): opposes Kleom, is deposed as nothos, flees to
Sp
Leotychides
Pausanias: Spartan commander
Ionians
Histiaios
of Miletos: collaborates w/ Pers; @ Hellespont in 513; at Pers court in
511
Aristagoras
of Miletos: successor of Histaios in 511
Persians
Xerxes
Darius
Artaphernes:
satrap of Ionia; 506, Ath appeal to him
Mardonios:
DariusÕ son-in-law ?
Persian-Gk
relations to 499
546: Sp agrees to aid Croesus against
Persia, but
Sardis falls to Cyrus before aid is sent; Gks seem to think Croesus
will
prevail (Hdt 1.81-3); Sp sends embassy to Cyrus to warn not to meddle
in Gk
affairs (Hdt 1.141, 152-3). Gk
appeals rebuffed; by c540 Ion Gks give up resistance and pro-Pers
tyrants ctrl
cities
=> aftermath: Phokaians migrate to
Elea and
Teans to Abdera (Hdt 1.163-8)
c540: Ionian Gks aid failed rebellion
of satrap
Paktyes; Ionia made into 2 satrapies headquartered @ Sardis and
Daskyleion
under Mazares and Harpagos
539: Cyrus takes Phoenicia, which gives
Persia a
fleet, and Neo-Babylonian empire, so that trade moves overland instead
of to
Ionian ports
525: Pers takeover of Eg by Kambyses --
break in
Gk pottery to 500 @ Naukratis
Sp/Corinth expedition against
Polykrates of Samos
fails; Sp recasts foreign policy: 1) ctrl of Pelop land power; 2) avoid
entanglements in E Aegean (Sealey Ch. 8)
522: Darius comes to power; Persia
takes Samos
from Polykrates
Letter
of Darius to Gadates (M&L 12; Sealey p. 176)
=> Ion obligations under Darius:
annual 400 a
serious burden on Gks T (Hdt 3.89-92, 5.28); demands ships & men
(Lydians
only $)
c518: Kleomenes of Sp rejects request
by
Maiandrios of Samos for aid against Syloson & Darius, has ephors
expel him
(Hdt 3.142-8)
c514-0: DariusÕ Skythian invasion
Byzantion
& Chalkedon subjugated, Macedonian Amyntas allies w/ Pers;
Chersonese &
S Thrace annexed as new satrapy (Doriskos & Eion); Ionians aid D;
Miltiades
(embodiment of Ath power in region) urges they destroy DÕs
Hellespont bridge,
isolating him in Europe (Hdt 4.87-142).
Kleom rejects Scythian request for aid (Hdt 6.84)D retreats fr
Skythia,
leaves Megabyzos in chg of Eur possessions; D inactive for a time. Perhaps DÕs main purpose is to est base
in Europe to pressure Gks and prep for attack; slaves, grain, silver,
timber
from the region denied non-Medizing Gks
510: Hippias of Athens driven out by
Kleom, flees
to Sp @ Sigeion
507/8: Ath aristocrats perhaps appeal
to Pers for
aid against Kleisthenes (Hdt 5.73)
c506: Ath embassy appeals to Ataphernes
for help
against Kleomenes, promise earth & H2O; ambassadors rebuked on
return to
Ath
by 500: Ath pottery dominates market
(eg Al Mina);
Sealey p. 183:
500: Persian/Milesian expedition
against
Naxos. Histiaios of Miletos called
to Persian court (511? reward? suppression?); Naxian exiles approach
his
successor Aristagoras
=> Persian impact on
Gk politics: example of
Athens & Aigina
7th c: pottery similarities suggest
close ties;
commercial (?) rivalry develops.
6th c: Hdt 5.79-80: Thebes, def by Ath,
turns to
Aig; in response to Aig harrassment, Ath gets (Delphic?) oracle saying
attack
in 30 yrs.
5th c: Aig temple of Athene Aphaia
c480: scenes of
Herakles & Ajax replace those of Zeus-rapt ÒAiginaÓ. PindarÕs Aig odes ex of elite
competition. 491: Aig offers earth
& water to Persia; Ath appeals to Sp, causing division between Sp
kings:
for Osborne Ch 9, decisive moment when Sp goes anti-Persian. Question of Sp taking Aig hostages (Hdt
6.73, 85-6). Corinth & Argos
join against Aig; outcome uncertain: Aig ends up anti-Persian. Themistokles uses threat of Aig to aid
support of Piraios fortificÕn and naval buildup
Ionian
Revolt
499: Aristagoras of Miletos tries w/
Persian
backing to take Naxos and install exiles; though Hdt makes A author of
plan,
suspect Pers designs on Cyclades & Euboia (Hdt 5.31.3), conflicting
w/
A/Nax plant to ctrl (Hdt 5.30).
Having failed, Aristagoras goes popularis: resigns tyranny,
supports
overthrow of other tyrants; canvasses mainland Gr for support. Hekataios: naval policy (Hdt 5.38,
49-51). Sealey (p. 176) argues
anti-tyrant rhetoric is smokescreen
498: Aristag seeks help from Kleomenes,
using
rhetoric of freedom vs slavery, who refuses; receives some help from
Ath (20
ships) and Euboia (5)
Athenian/Eretrian/Ionian attack on
Sardis, called
in by Aristagoras, using rhetoric of Ionian solidarity (cf Bias of
Priene @ PanIonian
games, Hdt 1.170), whom Sp Kleomenes had driven out; he diverts attack
on
Miletos to Sardis (Hdt 5.97ff); Aths suffer 2nd defeat @ Ephesos and
withdraws
497 (or 495/4): Cyprus rebels; Pers
retake w/ aid
of Ionian fleet (unwilling to obey Phokian cmmdr)
c496: Histiaios suspected by
Artaphernes, flees to
Byzantion and harasses shipping; H wants to return (slave tattooed
scalp
story); underlying stasis in Ion cities (to Hdt 5.37.2)
495: Persians defeat Ionian fleet @
LADE (Hdt
6.81): combined Gk fleet of 350 ships loses to 600 Pers vessels
494: Persians retake Miletos. Artaphernes set up as satrap of Ionia:
new taxation system based on land survey; tyrannies abolished; elite
may suffer
loss of privileges; Pers generally lenient (Hdt 6.18)
historical
interpretation
=> HERODOTOS writes
ÒloserÕs historyÓ of Ionian
Revolt; rhet aim to contrast unsuccessful Ion revolt w/ success on Gk
mainland:
Medizing, Asia Minor Ionians vs Ath Ionians = tensions in Ath Empire
(1.143). Sealey Ch 7: Hdt
causation built on Òjustificatory grievancesÓ: thus Ath
involvement in revolt
explains Pers attack; but S notes generalized nature of 490 invasion
(not just
Ath), and suggests that Scyth expedition was intended to secure Thrace
(which
it did) as prelude to taking Gr; thus for S the 490 attack was meant to
secure
sea route for invasion, abandoned for land-based 480 attack
=> M Lang 1968 ÒHerodotus and
the Ionian
RevoltÓ Historia 17: 24-36: revolt long planned (since 513/2);
Aristag and
Histiaios head revolutionary movement; Hist chooses Myrkinos for its
resources
& strategic position, and continues to plan fr Susa; Aristag uses
Naxian
request for aid as excuse to mobilize Ion fleet; plan backfires when
Darius
doubles # of ships; Aristagoras, not Megabazos responsible for warning
Naxians
K Waters 1970 ÒHerodotus and the
Ionian RevoltÓ
Historia 19: 504-8: HdÕts focus on personal motives due to his
reliance on oral
trad; no single cause, but individuals provide occasion (esp Aristag);
Hdt
focuses on disunity and treachery: Pers split opposition by diplomacy;
only 8
Ionian states fight @ Lade, and they quarrel; Ephesians massacre Chian
survivors
Aftermath
of Ionian Revolt
494: Battle of Sepeia: successful Sp
invasion of
Argos, after conclusion of 50-yr truce (Hdt 6.76-82)
493: Pers fleet captures islands,
cities in N
Aegean
Themistokles (c525-c460) archon; uses
silver @
Laurion to construct fleet (Òwooden wallsÓ; cf Aisch Pers
233-8); also gets Ath
to accede to Sp leadership (Plut Them 7.3f); perhaps Peiraios wall
constr
492: Mardonios (DariusÕ
son-in-law) brings more
forces to As Min; imposition of ÒdemokratiaiÓ (Hdt
6.43.3); Mardonios attacks
Thrace and Macedonia; his fleet is destroyed in a storm off Mt Athos
491: Darius demands earth & water
fr mainland
Gk states; Kleomenes attempts to punish AiginaÕs Medizing thru
Pel Lg (Hdt
7.133), thwarted by other king Demaratos; then bribes Delphic Oracle to
declare
Dem illegitimate, but found out; flees perhaps to Arkadia to engineer
return to
Sp
490: Kleom recalled to Sp, prosecuted,
goes crazy
and cuts himself to pieces
=> Generally: the Persian experience
coalesces
ideas of Òto HellenikonÓ (Hdt 8.144.2)
Herodotean
causes of Persian wars (like epic, over-determined)
Athens
appeals to Persia following KleomenesÕ invasion (5.73)
Demokedes
of Kroton, Hippias of Athans, Demaratos of Sparta: exile to Persian
court
(3.133-7)
Demokedes
of Kroton, doctor @ Persian court, wants to go home (3.125-37)
Syloson
of Samos (brother of Polykrates): elite appeal to Persian power
Aigina
offers earth & water to Persia (6.73ff)
Hippias
urges Darius to take Athens ()
=>
Hdt privileges persona vengeance motive, revenge
=> his main chain is: tension betw
Pers-supported tyrants (4.137.2); MiltiadesÕ attempt to free
Ionians vetoed by
HistiaiosÕ assertion that Ion tyrants owe their positions to
Persia, though
demoi want demokratia; narr beg w/ Airstagoras & Naxians
=> revolt ill-conceived and deserved
to fail
(5.105): persoanl ambition not good cause; failure fr hybris
ATHENIAN
policy before Marathon
Sealey (Ch 7) concludes that Ath
pursues no
long-term program in the 490s; that Themistokles rises to power slowly
in this
period; that Ath rejection of earth/H2) tribute to Persia due to
AiginaÕs
apparent acceptance of Pers hegemony (ie local fear rather than
ÒprincipleÓ)
Sealey rejects idea that Ath pol
factions form
along pro/anti-Sp lines, looks to personalities. HippiasÕ
involvement in 490 attack suggests continued Peis
support in Marathon region; from this perspective, anti-Persian =
pro-Alkmaionid
consider also personal embassies: eg
Aristagoras
of Miletos @ Athens (Hdt 5.97) appeals to sympathy, machismo
Òethnic prideÓ,
greed: broaches 1) Asian wealth; 2) ostensible weakness of Persians as
warriors; 3) Ionian connection to Ath
Sealey suggests fear of treachery may
motivate
Aths to take the offensive; yet S contradicts himself by saying that
fear of
5th column motivates, but at same time failure of same to materialize =
evidence of Ath unity
493: Argos & Aigina at war w/ Ath;
Corinth
opposes Pel Lg support of Aig
power of drama: (prob ) 493 =
performance of
PhrynikosÕ ÒSack of MiletosÓ -- Sealey likes the
Òtoo-close-to-homeÓ
explanation for his being fined; but perhaps the impt point is, who
prosecutes?
presumably opponents of Persian intervention (Alkmaionid?)
MiltiadesÕ return in 493: his
experiences on
border of expanding Pers infl (eg @ Hellesp bridge) makes him a
persuasive
speaker
483/2: construction of Ath fleet fr
Laurion silver
fund (Themistokles)
SPARTAN
policy before Marathon
failure in Samian campaign of 525
(515?) convinces
Sp to quit meddling in E Aegean
c519: Kleomenes engineers alliance
between Ath
& Plataia (Hdt 6.108; Thuc 3.68.5)
c513: Dorieus to N Africa, founds Kinyps
c511: Anchimolios leads Sp fleet
against Phaleron
(Hdt 5.63)
Dorieus
expelled fr Kinyps
510: Dorieus to Sicily, helps Kroton
destroy
Sybaris; dies in battle @ Herakleia
508/7: Kleom aids IsagorasÕ
party in expelling
Kleisthenes (Hdt 5.63-5, 70, 72)
506: KleomÕs attack on Ath
frustrated by revolt of
Corinth, other allies, Demaratos (Hdt 5.74f)
c503: Corinth leads opposition to Sp
plant to
restore Hippias (Hdt 5.90-3)
499: AristagorasÕ rhetoric fails
@ Sparta (nb he
has a MAP): Ath/Sp contrast in Hdt; AristÕs ambiguity and
SpÕs ambiguous
relationship to tyrants (Hdt 5.38, 49-51)
Hdt 7.133-7: Sp compensatory heralds;
Sealey Ch 8
sees as attempt at rapproachment w Pers
491:
hostility between Sp kings: Kleom deposes Demaratos over issue of
punishing
Aigina for Medism
1st
Persian Attack (490 BCE)
Darius gathers fleet @ Cilicia sends w
former Ath
tyrant Hippias against Attica,
en
route: attack Naxos (sacked), Eretria (betrayed), Karystos (defeated),
Delos
(respected)
Miltiades, Athenian general, leads Gks
to victory
@ Marathon; Hdt glorifies Milt over polemarch Kallimachos, who is killed
Pheidippides
(Pan) sends to Sp; Spartans claim to be unable to aid for relig reasons
Alkmaeonids accused of signalling
Persians to sail
around Cape Sounion and attack Ath
yet
see above: Sealey argues anti-Persian = pro-Alkmaionid -- impossible to
tell if
chg is unjustified attack by anti-Alk faction
Interim
=> MEDIZING POLEIS: Thebes; Aigina;
Macedon
(Hdt 4.1, 83-144, Strabo 7.305). Sealey Ch 8: cause for reproach only
after
repulse of Persians (but cf Sp vs Aigina in 491)
490/89: Miltiades leads fleet against
Paros; is
wounded and abandons siege; prosecuted @ Ath, fined 50T but dies of
gangrene;
son Kimon pays fine. precedent for
Aths using Medizing as pretext for plunder and extension of infl
490-80: Themistokles vs Aristeides for
ctrl of Ath
policy
Sparta:
marriage irregularities in royal houses; probable Messenian unrest
488/7: War of Athens with Aigina
first ostracism, of Hipparchos,
HippiasÕ grandson;
pattern of ostracisms and (at least alleged) link to Medizing suggest
the
anti-Persian policy is popular w demos; yet when 2nd round looms,
ostracized
are recalled
archon choice by sortition (AthPol
22.5; cf Arist
Pol 5.1303a15f: Herea in Pelop adopts sortion in order to avoid
excessive
competition among candidates)
486: Darius succeeded by Xerxes I;
succession and
Eg revolt delay 2nd attack
Megakles
ostracized, PeriklesÕ maternal uncle (prob, and Pind Pyth 7.14-8)
485:
Pers prepare for attack: bridges and canals
483/2: Shipbuilding program under
Themistokles
(Laurion silver)
Ostracism of Aristides
481: as threat impends, attempts to
patch up
inter-Gk disputes, appeal to uncommitted states (eg Gelon of Syracuse:
Carthaginians); Sp emerges as leader of resistance, ie
=> HELLENIC LEAGUE (Hdt 7.132, 144f, 172; 8.3; M&L
24-7; Sealey
Ch 8). Sp in ctr; Ath sullen. membership optional; limited Pers
objective
though continues to 460s; Ôsame friends & enemiesÕ
basis (suspension of
Ath/Aig conflict)
481: 1st (Foundation) Congress
(location unknown):
not actually named; member-states send probouloi; victors dedicate serpent inscr @
Delphi (M&L
27), Òthese fought the warÓ.
Sealey sees 3 constituents: Sp and Pel Lg (dominant);
Ath/Plataia/Thespis (Ath general vetoed); Cor and dependencies. Sends unsuccessful embassies to Sicily,
Corcyra, Crete, Argos; Hdt 7.150.2: Xerxes comes to terms w/ Argos.
480: 2nd Congress (Isthmus):
intra-Thessalian
rivalry leas opponents of Thess Aleuadae to obtain 10,000 hoplites to
try to
hold passes fr Macedon to Thess; Aleuads apparently win out and
hoplites
return, infecta re
Ath exiles recalled: ostracism tension set
aside (ÒThemistokles DecreeÓ)
2nd Persian Attack
480: Persians invade by land, approx.
200,000 and
> 1,000 ships, Xerxes personally in chg; Thessalians appeal; 10000
hoplites
invest Tempe pass but withdraw before Pers cross Hellesp
THERMOPYLAI (Hdt 7.175-8.21): Gks may
have thought
7000-man force insufficient; Sp success; death of Sp king Leonidas
Pers fleet battered by storms on
Magnesian coast
ARTEMESION (Hdt 7.175-8.21): Gks
perhaps pin hopes
on naval victory (yet nb Pers success @ Lade in 494); fleet is
ÒnewÓ (Ath
contingent raised mainly post-483/2); Gks attack, but are driven back
after 3
days; Gk fleet retreats to Salamis
Persian fleet proceeds to Phaleron,
arriving 9
days after Thermop (Hdt 8.40-2)
Aths empty Attika (Hdt 8.40-2);
Persians occupy
Athens; destroy Acropolis
ÒDecree of ThemistoklesÓ:
3rd c inscription @
Troezen, perhaps preserving 5th c material; likely text referred to in
Demosth
19.303 (348). Provisions all (jenoi, tekna, gunaikai) to decamp to Troizen; presbutai
and kthmata to Salamis; tamiai and iereai to remain; departure in 200 ships;
names Sp, Cor,
Aigina as allies; specifies ÒtomorrowÓ (aurion); detailed provisions for
mobilizÕn (# of ships,
age classes, officers, etc); recall of exiles; contra Hdt shows evac of
Attika
prior to battles of Thermop & Artemis
Hdt
8.49-64: against prevailing desire to fall back and fortify Isthmus,
Themistokles prevails on Sp Eurybiades to keep fleet @ Salamis and
engage there
SALAMIS (Hdt 8.97-107, 113-120, 130;
M&L 23;
Aesch Pers): Gk naval victory; tricky Themistokles; claim of Corinthian
cowardice
Xerxes w/ Pers fleet returns to Sardis,
leaving
large infantry contingent under Mardonios, who overwinters in Thessaly,
offers
Aths generous terms
479: Mardonios invades Attika again
(summer)
Ath embassy to Sp (Xanthippos,
Myronides, Kimon)
complains about failure to take initiative; tension in Hel Lg about
failure to
est defensive line in Boiotia
Mardonios sacks Ath and withdraws fr
Attika,
perhaps owing to threat of unrest in Ionia; Gks under Sp Pausanias
pursue into
Boiotia; skirmishing
PLATAIA
(Hdt 9.12-89): decisive Gk victory; Mardonios and most of his army
killed
MYKALE (Hdt 8.131f, 9.90-107, 114-21)
on same day
as Plataia (trad), Gk (largely Ath) fleet led by Sp king Leotychidas,
gathered
@ Aigina, enticed by Chians to Delos; Samos appeals; def Pers
Hel Lg council (Hdt 9.106): proposal to
transplant
Ionians vetoed by Aths; islanders admitto to Hel Lg, but not mainland
Ionia
(too difficult to defend); afterwards all but Athenians (under
Xanthippos)
return home
Persians
retreat under Artabazus
Gk navy victorious @ Mt Mykale; ceded
to Ath ctrl
(Hdt 8.3), fleet sails to Abydos under Aristides & Xanthippos to
find
Persian bridge over Hellespont destroyed
Themistokles celebrated @ Sp, but given
no command
479/8: fleet besieges Persians @ SESTOS
and
finally take it, crucifying Pers governor for sex in Protesilaus shrine
@
Elaious (Hdt 9.114-22; Thuc 1.89.2).
Hdt makes Sestos a purely Athenian affair; Thuc includes
so-called allies fr
Ionia & Hellespont.
LAST DAYS of THEMISTOKLES: Thuc 1.135-8: Th
implicated in Medism of Pausanias; Th at the time traveling,
ostracized, in Pel
Ôw residence @ ArgosÕ; flees to Corcyra, then to Molossia.
hellride to Ephesos;
appeals to Artaxerxes (succeeds Xerxes in 465/4), learns Persian. Finds
respect
& governeorship of Magnesia w/ Persians. Thuc gives a peaceful
death.
Sealey thinks Th a suspicious figure in Pel, perhaps Argive agent
Persian Wars bibliography
J Balcer 1987 Herodotus and Bisutun:
Problems in
Ancient Persian Historiography Historia Einzelschriften 49 Stuttgart
J Cook 1983 The Persian Empire London
R Frye 1983 The History of Ancient Iran
Munic
D Graf 1985 ÒGreek Tyrants and
Achaemenid
PoliticsÓ in J Eadie and J Ober edd The craft of the Ancient
Historian London
pp 79-123
P Helm 1980 ÒHerodotusÕ
Medikos Logos and Median
HistoryÓ Iran 19:85-90
J Hofstetter 1978 Die Griechen in
Persien:
Prosopographie be Griechen im persischen Reich vor Alexander Berlin
H Sancisi-Weerdenburg and A Kuhrt 1987
Achaemenid
History II: The Greek Sources Leiden
R Sealey 1976 A History of The Greek
City-States
Berkeley
From the
Persian Wars to the Peloponnesian War
478
Sp. Pausanias leads allied fleet against
Cyprus, Byzantium; his recall
Pausanias successfully opposes Spartan attempts to depose the
Delphic council for Medizing
death of Gelon
477
Delian Lg. est.
c476 Kimon takes
Eion (Pers.-held), Skyros (non-Gk; bones of Theseus); Karystos
(Medizers),
Naxos (proth poliw: forcible reintegration
into Del. Lg.)
Hiero transplants Naxians and Katanians to Leontini, refounds
Catania as Etna (Pind P 1,
Soph Women of Etna)
476-467 Hiero I
tyrant of Syracuse
474
Cumaeans appeal to Hiero, who sends fleet and defeats Etruscan
fleet @ Naples
472
Perikles choregos for Aisch Persai
c470 Argos
destroys Tiryns
c469 Kimon’s
double victory over Persians @ Eurymedon
468
Sophokles 1st victory in tragedy
468/7 fall of
meteor at Aigospotamai (Parian Marble)
467
death of Hiero I of Syracuse
ca 467 large
meteorite falls near Aigispotamai in Thrace (addressed by Anaxagoras)
c466-405 period of democracy
in Sicily
c465 failed Ath.
settlement at Ennea Hodoi in Thrace
Thasos rebels fr. Del. Lg.; forced back after 3-yr. siege
Messenain uprising prevents Sp. fr. aiding Thasos
Pericles’ unsuccessful prosecution of Kimon for not invading
Macedon
Ephialtes’ reforms
465/4 Artaxerxes
succeeds Xerxes
Themistokles ostracized
463
(prob.) Perikles general with Ephialtes
Perikles prosecutes Kimon after Thasos campaign
462
Ephialtes and Perikles reform Areopagos
earthquake in Peloponnese; Messenian uprising
Ath. contingent under Kimon
dismissed by Sp as help against Messenians
Messenians give up to Sp at Ithome on terms
462/1 Kimon
ostracized
Ephialtes assassinated
Megara and Argos ally with Ath
460s end of
Sicilian tyrannies
460-454 Ath
supports Egyptian revolt fr. Persia
460-46: 1st
Peloponnesian War (or dated 458-456)
c459
Cor/Epidauran fl. def. @ Haliai
Ath def. Aig. at sea and lays siege; Cor attempts aid by invading
Megara but is itself def.
c458 oligarchic
Ath faction makes overtures to Sp.
battles of Oinophyta and Tangara: Ath conquest of Boiotia
birth of Lysias (Athens or Sicily); d. ca. 380
building of Long Walls between Peiraios and Athens
457
Sp. supports Doris against Phocis; Ath def. @ Tangara
Thessaly deserts Ath alliance
456/5 Ath
Tolmides circumnavigates and raids Peloponnese
454
Ath loses 250 ships in Egypt
Ath Tribute Lists begin
Ath attempts to install pretender in Thessaly
Kimon recalled; leads expedition to Cyprus; dies
returning fleet def.Phoen/Cyp/Cilic fl. near Cyprian Salamis
(last large-scale battle w/ Persia)
(prob) transfer of Delian League treasury to Ath
453
Perikles’ unsuccessful siege in Acarnania and Cor Gulf(P’s 1st
mention in Thuc.)
late 450s to early
440s Ionians disaffected with Ath
rule => despatch of cleruchies
c452 Sikel
uprising under Duketios
451
5-yr spondai
irregularities in ATL show disaffection in league (Peace of
Kallias?)
Kimon returns from ostracism
Perikles’ citizenship law
c450 ‘Congress
Decree’: Perikles invites rebuilding of temples (contravenes ‘Plataian
Oath’)
post-450
Perikles divorces wife and cohabits w/ Aspasia; birth of younger
Perikles
450/49 Athens
and allies move against Cyprus; death of Kimon
prytany system est.
c447 2nd Sacred
War: Sp., then Ath takes ctr. of Delphi
Perikles in Chersonese/Thrace
construction begins on Parthenon
446
Euboia, then Megara revolt (latter aided by Cor. and Sicyon)
Pleistoanax advances to Eleusis, then retreats
30 Years Peace: Sp -- no concessions
Ath -- abandons Pelop. (Megara, Achaia,
Troezen)
last datable Pindaric ode
446-31:
Interwar Period
Perikles subdues Euboia
445
construction of 3rd Ath. long wall
c445 Brea colony
provisions suggest Ath. designs on Thrace (cp. Ennea Hodoi)
war between Akragas and Syracuse
444
Thurii founded
c443 ostracism
of Thucidides (s. of Milesias)
3rd (“Middle”) Long Wall constructed
442? musical
contests @ Panathenaia reorganized
construction of Odeion
441
Euripides’ 1st victory in tragedy
441-439 Samian
revolt
440s Ducetius,
leader of Sicel uprising, in Corinth
440
death of Duketios
440-30s
Herodotos fl.
440/39-7/6
(prob) restrictions on comedy
437/6 Amphipolis
founded by Ath on site of Ennea Hodoi
Perikles’ Black Sea expedition
435
Corcyra and Corinth’s longstanding hostility flares over
Epidauran stasis
Corcyra def. Cor @ Leukimme
late 430s
Megarian decrees exclude Meg. fr. ports and Attica (Charinos’
decree)
Anaxagoras and Pheidias prosecuted
434
Cor readies fleet
433
Corcyra appeals to Ath; Ath sends a few ships; besieges Potidaia,
which appeals to Corinth
and Sp; Perdiccas foments
revolution in Chalcidia; league @ Olynthus
Siris recolonized by Taras and Thurii as Herakleia
433/2 Ath renews
alliances with Leontini and Rheguim (orig. 440s?)
432/1 embassies
between Sp and Ath
431-404:
Archidamian War (war breaks out in Spring 431)
431
Thebes attempts to take Plataia
Thucydides begins writing
Sparta appeals to var Sicilian cities
430/29 Perikles
removed from office, tried and acquitted, reelected general
Potidaia
capitulates to Ath on terms
430/429 plague
in Ath and death (fall 429) of Perikles
Plataia invested
Phormio victorious at sea
Sitalkes leads Thracian incursions into Macedonia
430-25
Amphilocian Argos against Acarnanians allied with Ath
428/7 Mytilenean
Revolt
trial and execution of Plataians
427
Ath supports Leontini vs. Syracuse
Corcyran civil war: Ath partisans secure control (to 410)
Gorgias of Leontini (with Tisias) comes to Attica, addresses
Athenian assembly
(ca) birth of Plato
Sicel uprising
427-4 war
between Syracuse and Leontini
426
Athenian purification of Delos (Thuc 3.104)
426/5
Demosthenes in W Greece: Messenians convince him to attack
Aitolians; Aths defeated
destruction of Ambrakia
425
Eurymedon and Sophokles’ ‘1st Sicilian Expedition’ via Sp.,
Corcyra
occupation of Pylos
Demosthenes besieges Spartiates at Sphacteria
Corcyran civil war ends
Darius II succeeds Artaxerxes
424
Nicias takes Cythera in Peloponnese
Sicilian council at Gela leads to peace with Ath
Ath est. @ Nisea in Megara
Demosthenes fails to reest. Ath ctrl. of Boiotia (def. @ Delion)
Chalcidia and Perdiccas seek Pel. aid; Brasidas sent to N. Aegean
Thucydides exiled
423
1-yr armistice (ignored by Brasidas)
Brasidas quarrels with Perdiccas; some Ath. success in N. Aegean
invasion of Boiotia
422
Amphipolis falls to Sp; Kleon and Brasidas die (opponents of
peace)
Brasidas’ successes
Kallias Decree (?): borrowing fr. cult treasuries may indicate
Ath financial woes
=>if 434/3, Ath prep for war
prior to Corcyra
Kleinias Decree: improved tribute collection
422/1
negotiations betw. Ath and Sp
expiration of 30 yrs.’ peace betwn. Sp and Argos
deaths of Kleon and Brasidas
421
Peace of Nicias: 50 yr; ret. to 431 except Thebes keeps Plataia
and Ath Nisea; tribute set at
Aristides’ level; return of
Sphacteria captives; right of amendment for Ath and Sp alone
ephors Kleoboulos and Xenares (peace opponents) elected at Sp
420
Panacton: wanted by Sp to swap for Ath-held Pylos; Boiot. demands
alliance with Sp
Sp/Boiot. --> Ath/Argos/Elis/Mantinaia (‘Quadruple Alliance’)
Corinth’s attempt at forming Argive league fails
419
Argos attacks Epidauros with Ath support
418
Battle of Mantinea: Sp/Arcadia def. Quad Alliance; Argos and
Mant. conclude peace with Sp
417
pro-Ath party takes ctrl. in Argos
416
Melos crushed by Ath; Sp offers no aid
Syracuse backs Selinous, Ath Egesta in Sicilian conflict
415 (418?)
Hyperbolos: last ostracism (Alcibiades and Nicias set aside
rivalry to effect)
415
Sicilian Expedition; mutilation of herms; Alcibiades’ defection
Sikel uprising (in response to Ath invasion)
414
Sp sends Gylippus to Syracuse
Sp invades Argos (end of Peace of Nicias)
Ath embassy to Carthage, ignored
413
Ath defeat at Epipolai
Eurymedon and Demosthenes bring
aid to Ath fleet; its annihilation
Diokles reforms Syracusan democracy
Sp fortifies Decelea
Ath substitutes 5% tax on sea-borne goods for tribute
Sp undertakes major fleet construction
Sp agrees to aid revolts in Lesbos; plans against Chios and Ionia
412
Pelop. Congress @ Corinth: fleet to Chios, then Hellespont
Ath repels Sp fleet near Corinth
Chios, Erythrai, etc. rebel. Ath rebuilds fl, est. base on Samos
Alcibiades flees Sp for Tissaphernes
Sparta negotiates with Persia
Lesbos and Klazomenai revolt and are returned to Ath fold
412-11 Sp
treaties with Persia. Treaty of Lichas: Persian ctrl of Ionia
411-10
oligarchic coup in Ath
Alkibiades recalled
revolt of Euboia
fall of the 400
Pharnabazus woos Pelop. fleet north (from Tiss.); Sp
foments revolt around Hellespont
Ath def. Sp fleet @ Kynossema near Abydos
Theramenes supports Macedonia king Arches @ Pydna
Ath def. Sp fleet @ Kyzikos; Sp appeal for peace rejected
Sp recaptures Pylos
410
Persia loses control of Egypt
Selinus, threatened with destruction by Segesta, appeals to
Carthage, who sends force
ca 410 Athenian
public archive est @ Mêtroon
410-399 revision
of Athenian laws
409
Thrasyllus def. by Tiss. near Ephesus; joins Alcibiades (intial
hostility between armies);
combined force def. Pharnabazus near Abydos
Carthaginians destroy Himera
408
Alcibiades negotiates Chalcedon fr. Pharn, takes Byzantium
408/7 nauarchy
of Lysander; his personal network
Darius II decides for Sparta, sends Cyrus to supersede satraps
407
Alcibiades ret. to Ath, picking up 100T fr. Samos en route.
Cleared of impiety charge;
gesture of securing Sacra Via; sails for
Samos, securing Andros en route
Diokles banished from Syracuse; Hermokrates attempts to return
and is killed
young Dionysios (later D I) among Herm’s men
407-380 Lysias
active
406
Kallikratidas replaces Lysander, fails to inherit his network
Ath def. Sp @ Arginousai; trial of generals after storm losses;
Sp peace offer rejected
deaths of Euripides and Sophokles
Carthaginians launch major attack on Sicily, take Akragas
Dionysios comes to power in Syracuse
405
Carthaginians take Gela and Kamarina, then make peace
Konon reelected general; Lysander
returns to Sp fl
Ath def. @Aigispotamai; Lys cuts grain to Ath; Konon--> Persia
Sp fails to free Gk islands. Samos alone stands by Ath
installation of narrow oligarchies, harmosts, decarchies by Sp
405-367 Dionysos
I of Syracuse
404
Theramenes negotiates surrender with Sp (Corinth and Thebes urge
Ath destruction):
destruction of long walls, return of exiles,
offensive and defensive alliance with Sparta;
surrender of fleet; return to ‘patrios
politeia’; establishment of 30, reorganization of boule; harmost and
garrison
Kritias ascendant; Theramenes executed
Lysander takes Samos and installs decarchy; ret. w/ 470T;
whereabouts unclear 403-400/399
Gylippos accused of embezzlement; Sp law forbidding private
$
Sp Klearchos turns tyrant in Byzantium
Thrasyboulos leads anti-30 Ath exiles @Phyle in Boiot.; Thebes
fears Sp
Artaxerxes II succeeds
Darius II; Cyprus restive
403
Battle of Mounichion and overthrow of 30
Thrasyb. takes Piraeus; death of Kritias; 30 flee to Eleusis
Pausanias leads Pel. force to Attica; Boiotia and Corinth refuse
to join;
Lysander raises force with 30 at Eleusis; Pausanias negotiates
abolition of 30,
de-garrisoning of and domestic autonomia for Ath.
Lysias granted citizenship, his Against Eratosthenes (speech 12),
loses citizenship.
403/2 Eukleides
archon (doesn’t take office until October: Ath Pol 39.1, 41.1)
401
Sp aids Cyrus against Artaxerxes (Xen. Anab.); Cyrus def. @ Cunaxaca;
Tissaphernes demands submission of Ionian
Greeks