Herodotus and the topography of Xerxes’ invasion

Herodotus and the topography of Xerxes’ invasion PDF Author: Jan Zacharias Van Rookhuijzen
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110611511
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 542

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Book Description
In his Histories, Herodotus of Halicarnassus gave an account of Xerxes’ invasion of Greece (480 BCE). Among the information in this work features a rich topography of the places visited by the army, as well as of the battlefields. Apparently there existed a certain demand among the Greeks to behold the exact places where they believed that the Greeks had fallen, gods had appeared, or Xerxes had watched over his men. This book argues that Herodotus’ topography, long taken at face value as if it provided unambiguous access to the historical sites of the war, may partly be a product of Greek imagination in the approximately fifty years between the Xerxes’ invasion and its publication, with the landscape functioning as a catalyst. This innovative approach leads to a new understanding of the topography of the invasion, and of the ways in which Greeks in the late fifth century BCE understood the world around them. It also prompts new suggestions about the real-world locations of various places mentioned in Herodotus’ text.

Herodotus and the topography of Xerxes’ invasion

Herodotus and the topography of Xerxes’ invasion PDF Author: Jan Zacharias Van Rookhuijzen
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110611511
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 542

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Book Description
In his Histories, Herodotus of Halicarnassus gave an account of Xerxes’ invasion of Greece (480 BCE). Among the information in this work features a rich topography of the places visited by the army, as well as of the battlefields. Apparently there existed a certain demand among the Greeks to behold the exact places where they believed that the Greeks had fallen, gods had appeared, or Xerxes had watched over his men. This book argues that Herodotus’ topography, long taken at face value as if it provided unambiguous access to the historical sites of the war, may partly be a product of Greek imagination in the approximately fifty years between the Xerxes’ invasion and its publication, with the landscape functioning as a catalyst. This innovative approach leads to a new understanding of the topography of the invasion, and of the ways in which Greeks in the late fifth century BCE understood the world around them. It also prompts new suggestions about the real-world locations of various places mentioned in Herodotus’ text.

The Harvest of War

The Harvest of War PDF Author: Stephen P. Kershaw
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1639362355
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
The year 2022 marks 2,500 years since Athens, the birthplace of democracy, fought off the mighty Persian Empire. This is the story of the three epic battles—Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis—that saved democracy, forever altering the history of Europe and the West. In 2022 it will be 2,500 years since the final defeat of the invasion of Greece by Xerxes, the Persian king. This astonishing clash between East and West still has resonances in modern history—and has left us with tales of heroic resistance in the face of seemingly hopeless odds. The Harvest of War makes use of recent archaeological and geological discoveries in this thrilling and timely retelling of the story, originally told by Herodotus, the Father of History. In 499 BC, when the rich, sophisticated Greek communities of Ionia on the western coast of modern Turkey rebel from their Persian overlord Darius I, Athens sends ships to help them. Darius crushes the Greeks in a huge sea battle near Miletus and then invades Greece. Standing alone against the powerful Persian army, the soldiers of Athens' newly democratic state—a system which they have invented—unexpectedly repel Darius's forces on the planes of Marathon. After their victory, the Athenians strike a rich vein of silver in their state-owned mining district, and decide to spend the windfall on building a fleet of state-of-the-art warships. Persia wants revenge. The next Persian king, Xerxes, assembles a vast multinational force, constructs a bridge of boats across the Hellespont, digs a canal through the Mount Athos peninsula, and bears down on Greece. Trusting in their "wooden walls," the Athenians station their ships at Artemisium, where they and the weather prevent the Persians landing forces in the rear of the land forces under the Spartan King Leonidas at the nearby pass of Thermopylae. Xerxes's assault is a disastrous failure, until a traitor shows him a mountain track that leads behind the Greeks. Leonidas dismisses the Greek troops, but remains in the pass with his 300 Spartan warriors where they are overwhelmed in an heroic last stand. Athens is sacked by the Persians. Democracy is hanging by a thread. But the Athenians convince the Greek allies to fight on in the narrow waters by the island of Salamis. Despite the heroism of the Persian female commander Artemisia, the Persian fleet is destroyed. The Harvest of War concludes by exploring the ideas that the decisive battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis mark the beginnings of Western civilization itself—and that Greece became the bulwark of the West—representing the values of peace, freedom, and democracy in a region historically ravaged by instability and war.

Topography and History of Ancient Epicnemidian Locris

Topography and History of Ancient Epicnemidian Locris PDF Author: José Pascual
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900425675X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 656

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Book Description
This book presents the results of a major project carried out by a team from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the 14th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities at Lamia. The book gives a full picture of a extensive area of Greece known as Epicnemidian Locris, on which very little has been studied and published in the past. Its relevance in historical times was due to its natural environment and mainly on the pass at Thermopylae, which marked the physical boundary between central/northern Greece and the south, being the scene of repeated conflicts. The book offers a a complete picture of what Epicnemidian Locris was like in the past: its geography, topography, frontiers and the ancient settlements of the region.

Xerxes Invades Greece

Xerxes Invades Greece PDF Author: Herodotus
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141963816
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description
A king who would be worshipped as a god... When Xerxes, King of Persia, crosses the Hellespont at the head of a formidable army, it seems inevitable that Greece will be crushed beneath its might. But the Greeks are far harder to defeat than he could ever have imagined. As storms lash the Persian ships, and sinister omens predict a cruel fate for the expedition, Xerxes strives onward, certain his enemies will accept him as their king. But as he soon discovers, the Greeks will sacrifice anything, even their lives, to keep their liberty...

The Killing Ground

The Killing Ground PDF Author: Myke Cole
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472858646
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 339

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Book Description
An exploration into why and how Thermopylae is one of the most blood-soaked patches of ground in history – and what its past can tell us about our future. 'Brilliantly demonstrated.' - Tom Holland Since the dawn of the Classical Era up to World War II, thousands have lost their lives fighting over the pass at Thermopylae. Historians Cole and Livingston provide an exciting account of each of the 27 battles and holding actions that took place. The epic events of 480 BC when 300 Spartans attempted to hold the pass has been immortalised in poetry, art, literature and film. But no history has ever detailed the other events from the very first battle through to the battles fought by Romans, Byzantines, Huns and Ottomans during the early and late medieval periods and finally the two desperate struggles against German occupying forces during World War II. The Killing Ground details the background and history of each conflict, the personalities and decision making of the commanders, the arms and tactics of the troops, and how each battle played out. Cole and Livingston have surveyed the ground to provide a boots-on understanding of each battle. Their command of multiple ancient and medieval languages means they have provided their own translations of much of the source material, ensuring new insights into each battle. This uncompromising scholarship is woven together into a compelling and unforgettable history that grips the reader from start to finish.

Athens Burning

Athens Burning PDF Author: Robert Garland
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 142142195X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
"In this next offering for the Witness to Ancient History series, Robert Garland writes about the Persian invasion of Greece in the 5th century BC. After introducing the reader to the contextual background of the Greco-Persian Wars, including the famous Battle of Marathon, Garland describes the various stages of the invasion from both the Persian and Greek point of view. He focuses on the Greek evacuation of Attica (the peninsular region of Greece that includes Athens), the siege of the Acropolis, the eventual defeat of the Persians by Athenian and Spartan armies, and the return of the Greek people to their land. Coming off his 2014 PUP book on the experience of diaspora in ancient Greece, Garland is well placed to speak authoritatively on this important time in ancient history when the Greeks had to flee their homeland. Garland is an experienced and productive writer whose experience producing video lecture courses for The Great Courses company makes him an ideal author for this introductory volume"--Provided by publisher.

Textual Strategies in Ancient War Narrative

Textual Strategies in Ancient War Narrative PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004383344
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
In this collected volume fourteen experts in the fields of Classics and Ancient History study the textual strategies used by Herodotus and Livy when recounting the disastrous battles at Thermopylae and Cannae. Literary, linguistic and historical approaches are used (often in combination) in order to enhance and enrich the interpretation of the accounts, which for obvious reasons confronted the authors with a special challenge. Chapters drawing a comparison with other battle narratives and with other genres help to establish genre-specific elements in ancient historiography, and draw attention to the particular techniques employed by Herodotus and Livy in their war narratives.

The Battle of Marathon in Scholarship

The Battle of Marathon in Scholarship PDF Author: Dennis L. Fink
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786479736
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
This is a thorough historiographic review of the Battle of Marathon. Full use is made of the major ancient sources and the debate over the value of Herodotus. The book covers the rise of the Persian Empire, relations between the Greeks and the Persian Empire and the Ionian revolt that set the stage for the Persian expedition in 490 that led to the Battle of Marathon. The book also examines the development of the Persian and Greek military systems, weapons, armor, fighting styles and military tactics. The battle itself is described along with the many questions, controversies and conflicting theories surrounding it, including an explanation of why the Athenians were able to defeat the mighty Persian Empire. The final chapter deals with the issue of the importance of the battle. The 1190 endnotes and bibliography of more than 400 sources dating from the 1850s to 2012 will allow readers to do more research on any of the topics covered.

The Histories Book 7: Polymnia

The Histories Book 7: Polymnia PDF Author: Herodotus
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681462966
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Book Description
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who lived in the fifth century BC (c.484 - 425 BC). He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a well-constructed and vivid narrative. The Histories-his masterpiece and the only work he is known to have produced-is a record of his "inquiry", being an investigation of the origins of the Greco-Persian Wars and including a wealth of geographical and ethnographical information. The Histories, were divided into nine books, named after the nine Muses: the "Muse of History", Clio, representing the first book, then Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania and Calliope for books 2 to 9, respectively.

Reading Greek and Hellenistic-Roman Spolia

Reading Greek and Hellenistic-Roman Spolia PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004682708
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Plundering and taking home precious objects from a defeated enemy was a widespread activity in the Greek and Hellenistic-Roman world. In this volume literary critics, historians and archaeologists join forces in investigating this phenomenon in terms of appropriation and cultural change. In-depth interpretations of famous ancient spoliations, like that of the Greeks after Plataea or the Romans after the capture of Jerusalem, reveal a fascinating paradox: while the material record shows an eager incorporation of new objects, the texts display abhorrence of the negative effects they were thought to bring along. As this volume demonstrates, both reactions testify to the crucial innovative impact objects from abroad may have.