The Greeks - Themistocles. Themistocles, Athenian politician, c. 524-459 BCE | Oxford ... Herodotus (8.22) tells us that Themistocles has inscriptions carved on rocks in the coastal area around Artemisium. According to historians Herodotus and Plutarch, the brave Athenian general Themistocles was not born into wealth. Themistocles Essay ⋆ History Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire There the Greeks, sparked by fear and indecisiveness, conduct successive discussions about Both Thucydides and Herodotus' depictions of Themistocles suggest that he is a devious person. When the Persian king, Xerxes, invaded Greece in the spring of 480 BC, he did so at the head of a vast army. Herodotus Histories Summary - 1606 Words | Cram Lenardon, Robert J., The saga of Themistocles, London: Thames & Hudson, 1978. A whole section of his narrative pivots on it: it serves to introduce Themistocles, it establishes Themistocles' reputation for shrewd opportunism, Herodotus, The Histories A. D. Godley, Ed. Herodotus states Darius I the Great sought retribution for the Athenians' support to the rebels. For students beginning their journey in Herodotean studies this collection of essays, focusing on . This chapter shows that Thucydides, since he was covering other periods of Themistocles' life than Herodotus, simply did not have the opportunity decisively to refute his predecessor's portrait. He was one of a new breed of non-aristocratic politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy.As a politician, Themistocles was a populist, having the support of lower-class Athenians . Themistocles was born around 524 BCE in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens. As Herodotus narrates, the Greeks army under the command of the Spartan Euaenetus and Themistocles landed in the harbour of the small Thessalian city Alos in the Pagasae Bay and then marched to Tempe abandoning their ships there. The first two are positive and praise the general's intelligence and quick wits while Plutarch presents a talented leader thirsty for power at any cost. > Quotes. Ability alone made him influential. Show More. Later accounts of the treatment meted out to Darius's messengers give Themistocles a central role. Herodotus describes the army's retreat to Asia as a disaster of apocalyptic dimensions. Herodotus tells about talks among the Greek admirals, but his reports are confused. Early life. King Leonidas I "Leonidas the Brave" Born: c.540BCE Died: September 480BCE (age approximately 60) Affiliation(s): Supported Greek side. Touring the taverns, the markets, the docks, canvassing where no politician had thought to canvas before, making sure never to forget a single voter's name, Themistocles had set his eyes on a radical new constituency." This left Mardonius and a section of the fleet to fight the Greeks, and they lost in Plataea. Because of the bay being too narrow, though, the Persians were under attack and were forced to retreat. Themistocles makes use of the fact that the Persians' allies, the Ionians, are Greek-speaking. Around 480 BC, after attempting to discern a prophecy from an Oracle, the people of Athens were disturbed as to its cryptic meaning, fearing the gods had predicted . Herodotus often points to how both men handle council and their own piety as a tool to depict what kind of men they are, and at times reinforces his own generalizations of the Greek and Persian people using these men as his proxy. Fighting in a confined space favors us, but the . Herodotus' presentation recalls subsequent history . If the other Greeks would leave Salamis, the Athenians would give up the struggle, take their families on board and sail to Italy with their navy of 200 vessels. It was the fault of the Greek gods, who with their arrogance, encouraged me to march onto your lands. Additional Sources. Free Online Library: Themistocles' speech before Salamis: the interpretation of Herodotus 8.83.1. by "The Classical Quarterly"; History Literature, writing, book reviews Languages and linguistics Greek literature Criticism and interpretation Greek philology Analysis Herodotus, on the other hand, never mentions the fact of treachery and Themistocles exile. In 483 BC, the Athenians discovered a lode of silver near Laurion, in Athens. Cambridge companions to literature . 1. 425 B.C. "Themistocles," wrote the classicist Maurice Bowra, "was the personification of the vigorous Athenian spirit." In the language of the current day, Tom Holland notes that "he could infight, he could network, he could spin." Herodotus does not pass up an opportunity to emphasize Themistocles' wiliness. Herodotus' first mention of Themistocles comes on the heels of the advance of the Persian Empire on all of Hellas after its crushing defeat at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. Originally in Athens there were three archons: the archon eponymos (so called because the year was named after him), who was the chief officer of the state; the archon basileus, Themistocles' clever command strategy resulted in being universally recognized by all other Greek commanders after the war and even receiving special honors from Sparta. When Themistocles had thus spoken, Adeimantus the Corinthian again attacked him, and bade him be silent, since he was a man without a city; at the same time he called on Eurybiades not to put the question at the instance of one who had no country, and urged that Themistocles should show of what state he was envoy, before he gave his voice with . Themistocles gained Aristides support in tricking Xerxes to believe they were about to cut off his return home by breaking the bridge of boats on the Hellesport. He helped build up the Athenian fleet, and defeated the Persian fleet at Salamis in 480. Themistocles was generously honored for his leadership, and the historian Herodotus wrote, "Themistocles was acclaimed throughout the whole of Hellas and deemed to be the wisest man by far of the Hellenes." As a political leader Themistocles rebuilt and fortified Athens, which had suffered prior to the successful naval battle. The historian Herodotus did not particularly like him, [6] and he was not especially well born. Themistocles' speech before Salamis: the interpretation of Herodotus 8.83.1 - Volume 46 Issue 2 Please be advised that ecommerce services will be unavailable for an estimated 6 hours this Saturday 13 November (12:00 - 18:00 GMT). One of his claims is that the others wanted to sail away and Themistocles had to blackmail them. Themistocles life is described by three notable ancient sources: Herodotus (c. 484 - c. 425 BCE), Thucydides (c. 460 - c. 399 BCE), and Plutarch (c. 45 CE - c. 120 CE). Hide browse bar Your current position in the text is marked in blue. Od. As a politician, Themistocles was a populist, having the support of lower class Athenians, and generally being at odds with . This chapter addresses Herodotus' presentation of Themistocles' motives, taking as a test case the general's rhetoric and conduct at Andros (9.109-110) and after. Themistocles, he said, should in­ Aristides would often be remembered as Themistocles' greatest rival.A man born into moderate fortune, he often sided with the aristocracy of ancient Athens. Carolyn Dewald , John Marincola , The Cambridge companion to Herodotus . Herodotus' inclusion of 'Alliance' or 'Pre-battle' speeches (Chapters 3 and 4). Individuals are viewed as brave when they fear death, yet are successful in battle or escaping the enemy regardless. His father, Neocles, was an ambiguous Athenian citizen of modest means. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position: A modern source is Charles Hignett's Xerxes' Invasion of Greece (1963), which contains a useful bibliography. Once the . Written in 430 BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in Greece, Western Asia and . To contemporaries, Themistocles was an unlikely hero. "He asked, 'Croesus, who told you to attack my land and meet me as an enemy instead of a friend?'. Themistocles' father, Neocles, came of the aristocratic Lycomid family and was not poor, but his mother was a concubine, non-Athenian and . He entered politics around the same time as Themistocles and gained a reputation as being fair, honest, and genuinely concerned with the well . 17. Bösel, 2001 regarding the personality of Themistocles in Herodotus). Photo: Public Domain. Herodotus' Last Word on Themistocles In his last significant treatment of Themistocles, Herodotus allows the otherwise unknown Timodemus to chastise the victor of Salamis for the exceptional honors he was recently awarded by the Spartans, honors that he claims properly belong to the Athenian people (8.125). (c. 528-462 bc), Athenian statesman. ("Agamemnon", "Hom. While both Themistocles and Aristides use Herodotus and Thucydides as their main source, the list of authorities cited by Plutarch in Aristides is fifteen, while in Themistocles there are Twenty-eight. The Decree of Themistocles or Troezen Inscription is an ancient Greek inscription, found at Troezen, discussing Greek strategy in the Greco-Persian Wars, purported to have been issued by the Athenian assembly under the guidance of Themistocles.Since the publication of its contents in 1960, the authenticity of the decree has been the subject of much academic debate. 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