CLA232H1 Lecture : February 6th.docx
Document Summary
Medes: ruined in history by chosing the persians over the greeks. Athens on the north of the wall, they had no option. Zerces fought athens, they are the ones who saved greece. They would have toppled the country if they had not fought persia. Polis & all greece defined by this war. Herodotus refers to the war as a tragedy. Arrogance, hubris: persia is punished by the just greeks and gods. 1st persian invasion: 499bce: ionians (asia minor) first conquered by cyrus, (then successor darius), and are under the rule of persian monarch. They revolt for freedom, and send for help. Athens do come to help. (kinship for their pan-hellenes). Sardis (capital of libya) and they burn it to the ground. Eventually they are subdued and the ionians are recaptured. Darius prays to zeus for the power to avenge against the athenians. Darius peaces out over the aegean to marathon, attica (26 miles from athens).
