Table of Contents
History of Themistocles
Themistocles, (born c. 524 bcedied c. 460), Athenian politician and naval strategist who was the creator of Athenian sea power and the chief saviour of Greece from subjection to the Persian empire at the Battle of Salamis in 480 bce.
What is the significance of Themistocles?
He is remembered as a people’s leader, challenging the elite powers and opening the democracy to the commoners. His greatest legacy came through the military. In response to the threat of Persian invasion, Themistocles orchestrated the building of the first truly massive navy in Athenian history.
Was Themistocles a warrior?
As a politician, Themistocles was a populist, having the support of lower-class Athenians, and generally being at odds with the Athenian nobility.
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| Themistocles | |
|---|---|
| Died | 459 BC (aged 6465 years old) Magnesia on the Maeander (now Tekin, Ayd?n, Turkey) |
| Allegiance | Athens (to c. 471 BC) Achaemenid Empire (469459 BC) |
How did Themistocles trick Xerxes?
Themistocles deceived the Persians by offering them what they wanted to hear. But he could not have pulled off the scheme without first learning the Persian way of war and that required gathering and analyzing human intelligence.
Did Themistocles defeat Xerxes?
The indecisive battle of Artemision between the Greek and Persian fleets of Xerxes I. The Greeks withdraw to Salamis. Battle of Salamis where the Greek naval fleet led by Themistocles defeats the invading armada of Xerxes I of Persia.
Why was Themistocles a hero?
One of the most famous naval heroes in Greek history was Themistocles, whose forward thinking and strategic mind saved Athens from destruction during the Greco-Persian Wars.
How many Triremes did Themistocles build?
A vote on ostracism was to decide the outcome. Ultimately, the Athenians sided with Themistocles and Aristides went into exile. Immediately work began at break neck speed to build a navy of 200 triremes, the most advanced ships of the Ancient World.
Who is Themistocles 300?
Themistocles is the main protagonist in 300: Rise of an Empire. He is played by Sullivan Stapleton.
Who was Xerxes and what did he do?
Xerxes I was a Persian ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, who ruled from 486 to 465 BCE. Upon ascending the throne, Xerxes mercilessly put down rebellions in Egypt and Babylon, demanding that all conquered cities treat him as their one king.
Did Themistocles go to Persia?
Themistocles, (born c. 524 bcedied c. 460), Athenian politician and naval strategist who was the creator of Athenian sea power and the chief saviour of Greece from subjection to the Persian empire at the Battle of Salamis in 480 bce.
Did Themistocles meet Artemisia?
The 300: Rise of an Empire true story reveals that unlike what is shown in the movie, the real Artemisia did not die at the hands of Themistocles in the Battle of Salamis. She survived the battle and did not meet her fate while engaging in combat.
Who won Battle of Salamis?
Battle of Salamis, (480 bc), battle in the Greco-Persian Wars in which a Greek fleet defeated much larger Persian naval forces in the straits at Salamis, between the island of Salamis and the Athenian port-city of Piraeus.
How did Themistocles win the Battle of Salamis?
However, Themistocles argued in favour of an offensive strategy, aimed at decisively destroying the Persians’ naval superiority. He drew on the lessons of Artemisium, pointing out that “battle in close conditions works to our advantage“. He eventually won through, and the Allied navy remained off the coast of Salamis.
How did Spartans defeat Persia?
The Greek forces, mostly Spartan, were led by Leonidas. After three days of holding their own against the Persian king Xerxes I and his vast southward-advancing army, the Greeks were betrayed, and the Persians were able to outflank them.
How many ships did Themistocles build?
Themistocles commanded the Athenian contingent, by far the largest in the fleet with perhaps 200 ships. The Persian fleet, although greatly exaggerated by ancient writers, was probably larger with around 500 ships.
What is the offensive weapon of the trireme?
Triremes also possessed sails but they were not used during combat. A Trireme’s main offensive weapon was its “beak,” a stout piece of sharpened wood (often clad in metal) which protruded directly forward from its bow, at or below the waterline.
Was Themistocles a good leader?
Themistocles (ca. 528-462 B.C.), an Athenian political leader, was a brilliant commander and statesman who defeated Persia at sea and made Athens a great power. Themistocles was the son of a middle-class Athenian father and a non-Athenian mother. Ability alone made him influential.
What was Themistocles plan?
At the next meeting of the allies, the Greeks accepted a strategic plan that may have been wholly devised by Themistocles. A combined force of Greek troops would block the Persian armies on land at Thermopylae through which Xerxes would have to pass.
Who was Themistocles for kids?
Themistocles was born no later than 524 bc into an aristocratic family in Athens. The first recorded event of his life was his election in 493 as archon, the chief judicial and civilian officer of Athens. After the battle of Marathon, the Greeks were sure the Persian threat was over.
Was Leonidas king of Sparta?
Leonidas I (/li??n?d?s, -ds/; Greek: ????????; died 19 September 480 BC) was a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythological demigod Heracles and Cadmus.
What did Pericles do?
Pericles was an Athenian statesman who played a large role in developing democracy in Athens and helped make it the political and cultural center of ancient Greece. Pericles was born in 495 B.C.E. in Athens to an aristocratic family.
Why was Athens navy so strong?
The Athenian navy was relatively nonexistent until slightly before the Second Persian Invasion, and it was developed to safeguard Ancient Greece from the Persians. They had come close to being conquered by the Persians and rather than feel relief, there were those who assumed the Persians would be back to try again.
What happened to Xerxes?
After his failure in Greece, Xerxes I started a lavish construction program in Persepolis at great expense to his subjects. He built a new palace and began work on the monumental Hall of a Hundred Columns. He was assassinated by his courtiers in 465 BCE, before it was completed.
How tall is Xerxes?
Xerxes, the king of Persia, is portrayed as seven feet tall. Actor Rodrigo Santoro is only 6’2″. Not too shabby, but the other 10 inches are special effects.
Where is Themistocles from?
Why is Ahasuerus called Xerxes?
Etymology. It’s believed that the Hebrew form derives from the Old Persian name of Xerxes I, Xay?r? (< xaya ‘king’ + aran ‘male’ > ‘king of all male; Hero among Kings’).
How did Xerxes look like?
Based on ancient carved stone reliefs remaining from the Achaemenid Dynasty, Xerxes is actually depicted as having long curly hair and beard, adorned with a crown and royal robe.
Where was Xerxes buried?
How did Themistocles fall from power?
Themistocles became the prime target of Spartan vitriol after he had Athens’ walls rebuilt, but factions within Athens also viewed him as a threat and ostracized him. Seeing no other options, Themistocles finally fled to the protection of his old enemies in Persia.
What did Leonidas do?
Leonidas was the Spartan king who famously led a small band of Greek allies at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE where the Greeks valiantly defended the pass through which the Persian king Xerxes sought to invade Greece with his massive army.
Why did the Peloponnesian war start?
The primary causes were that Sparta feared the growing power and influence of the Athenian Empire. The Peloponnesian war began after the Persian Wars ended in 449 BCE. The two powers struggled to agree on their respective spheres of influence, absent Persia’s influence.
Is 300: Rise of an Empire true?
A case in point is 300: Rise of an Empire, a sequel to 2006’s hugely successful 300. Both films are loosely based on fact. The first is about the Battle of Thermopylae (480 B.C.), where 300 Spartans fought to the death to defend Greece against a massive invading Persian army. The dead included Sparta’s king, Leonidas.
Is 300 based on a true story?
Like the comic book, the 300 takes inspirations from the real Battle of Thermopylae and the events that took place in the year of 480 BC in ancient Greece. An epic movie for an epic historical event.
Who is Artemisia to Xerxes?
Persian Wars
When Xerxes went to war against Greece (480479 BCE), Artemisia was the only woman among his commanders. She brought five ships of the 70 total sent to battle, and those five ships were forces with a reputation for ferocity and valor.
Who defeated Greek empire?
Ancient Greece was one of the dominant civilizations in the Mediterranean and the world for hundreds of years. Like all civilizations, however, Ancient Greece eventually fell into decline and was conquered by the Romans, a new and rising world power.
Who won the Persian War?
Though the outcome of battles seemed to tip in Persia’s favor (such as the famed battle at Thermopylae where a limited number of Spartans managed to wage an impressive stand against the Persians), the Greeks won the war. There are two factors that helped the Greeks defeat the Persian Empire.
Who defeated Xerxes at the Battle of Salamis?
The Greeks faced off against the Persians in a narrow strait west of the island of Salamis. The battle lasted for 12 hours, but at the end, the Greeks were victorious.
Why did the Spartans only send 300?
The Spartans may have only sent 300, not because of the Olympics or Carneia, but because they didn’t wish to defend so far north, although it does seem unusual they would have sent a King if so.
Why did the 300 Spartans fight?
Battle of Thermopylae
In the late summer of 480 B.C., Leonidas led an army of 6,000 to 7,000 Greeks from many city-states, including 300 Spartans, in an attempt to prevent the Persians from passing through Thermopylae.
How tall was the average Spartan?
The average height of a Spartan was approximately 5’8?. This is because Spartans were measured in units of 1/5 of a man, which is approximately 18 inches.
What is ironic about the end of Themistocles career?
After Salamis
Regardless, Themistocles’ end is a bit ironic. He left Athens and eventually made his way to rule over some of the Asian Greek states that were actually the subjects of Xerxes’s son, Artaxerxes I. This was the final nail in the coffin as the Athenians considered him a traitor as a result.
How fast could a trireme go?
The trireme is said to have been capable of reaching speeds greater than 7 knots (8 miles per hour, or 13 km/hr) and perhaps as high as 9 knots under oars. Square-rigged sails were used for power when the ship was not engaged.
Why did triremes have eyes?
Once the triremes were seaworthy, it is argued that they were highly decorated with, “eyes, nameplates, painted figureheads, and various ornaments”. These decorations were used both to show the wealth of the patrician and to make the ship frightening to the enemy.
How many oars are in a trireme?
A trireme was an Ancient Greek warship. They were the fastest, deadliest ships in the ancient world. They were called triremes because they had three tiers of oars. Soldiers stood on deck, while 170 oarsmen sat below.
