thermopylae: myth, history, & archaeology. herodotus 484-c.425 b.c. father of history but son of...
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Thermopylae: Myth, History, & Archaeology
Herodotus• 484-c.425 B.C.• Father of
History but Son of Myth
• Access to veterans of Persian wars
Plutarch
• 46-127 A.D.
• Life of Lycurgus the Law-giver
• Spartan Institutions & Life
Xenophon
• c.430-c.354• Mercenary in
Persian “civil war”
• Anabasis• “Warriors”• Spartan
Institutions
The Persian Empire 490 B.C.
Persian Empire
IRANAfghanistanIraqPakistanTurkmenistanLevant
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine
Anatolia (Turkey)EgyptBulgaria
Origin of Persian Wars
• 500 B.C. Ionian Revolt• Greek Colonies on Coast of
Asia Minor rebel against Persian taxes & military service
• 498 B.C. Athens sends help, burns Sardis
• 495 B.C. Darius regains control of Ionia
• Darius (521-486 B.C.) plots revenge - invasion
• 492 B.C. Persian General Mardonius campaigns in Thrace
• 490 B.C. Persian Fleet sent to invade Greece
Battle of Marathon 490 B.C.
• Athenians led by Miltiades, former mercenary in Persian army
• Greek losses “192”
• Persian dead “6,400!”
2nd Persian Invasion
• Xerxes, son of Darius• 481 B.C. Greek
League against Persia
• Sparta commands but Athens the true naval power
• 480 B.C. Battle at Thermopylae
XerxesReliefs at Persepolis
Leonidas at Thermopylae (David)
Battle of Thermopylae
Battle of Salamis • 480/479 B.C. Battle at Salamis
• Greeks lose c.40 ships
• Persians lose c.200 ships, and Persians couldn’t swim!
• Immortals slaughtered on Psyttaleia
Triremes
Battle of Plataea
• 479 B.C. Battle at Plataea Death of Mardonius, End of Persian Invasion)
• Herodotus: only 43,000 of 250,000 Persians survived the battle, while the Greeks lost only 159 men!
The Hoplite Panoply
• Helmet• Shield• Breastplate/Cuirass• Greaves• Sword• Spear• Total Weight 50-70 lbs
Full Panoply
• (1) Helmet• (2) Cuirass• (3) Armguard• (4) Shield• (5) Belt• (6) Thigh Piece• (7) Greave• (8) Ankleguard• (9) Footguard• (10) Forearm
Guard.
The Shield• Convex wooden disc• Bronze overlay• Individual Decoration
for non-Spartan hoplites
The Cuirass
• Front and back pieces
• Linothorax
The Helmet• Corinthian
helmet late 6th - early 5th century
• Beards to prevent chafing?
The Chigi Vase 640-630 B.C.
Spartan Superiority
• Uniformity of Panoply
• Distinctive Spartan Shield
• Scarlet Cloak• Regular training
together & bonding in syssitia
The Phalanx
Spartans as Defenders of Freedom?
• “Dorian Invasion”• Northern Greek People
displace or conquer Achaean Greeks in Laconia & then Messenia
• Spartiates rule local residents, perioeci (merchants) & helots (agricultural serfs through fear and brutality inspired by the Krypteia (secret police)
EphialtesFrom TrachisSpartan EugenicsGreek CollusionNot deformedSpartan Bounty
on his Head
Tactics: Phalanx or Monomachia?
Spartan Sexuality
• “Spartan hotties vs. Persian trannies”?
• Athenian Boy-lovers?• No home life until 30!• The Mess-hall is cold
at night…• Institutionalized
(chaste?) pederasty• Husband-doubling &
Adultery
Spartan…Ummm…
Errr…
• This slide IS important but I have forgotten why…
• Karneia– 9 day festival of
Apollo
Spartan Society• Agoge: 7-17• Krypteia: 18-20• Syssitia: 21-30• Homoioi• Reserves: 31-60
• Women’s Rights?• Property• Sex• Education• Sports
Spartan Government
• 5 Ephors elected from the Spartiate class for 1 year
• 2 hereditary kings with equal authority (cp.2 Roman consuls)
• Gerousia (council of 28 elders over 65, elected for life, usually from royal households + the 2 kings)
• Damos – citizen assembly
Archaeology of Persian Wars
• Schliemann excavations!• Excavation of Burial Mound of
Plataeans• Tomb of Spartans found near
Thermopylae?• Persian Chariot Wheels as Votives in
Temple of Apollo and Artemis at Kalapodi