HIST101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Persians, Hoplite, Aspis
8 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
The entirety of the persian war was documented by greek historian herodotus. The persian empire was much larger than greece: had an authoritarian way of running government, armies were large and fierce. Because of the uprising, persian king darius sent an army to athens in 490 bce to seek revenge: this was the beginning of the persian war. Greek warfare: greece had developed a style of fighting known as hoplite warfare . Derived from hoplon , a type of greek shield. When soldiers stood shoulder-to-shoulder kneeling behind their shields, it formed a sort of wall that was extremely intimidating to other armies: downfalls to hoplite warfare. Relied heavily on every man in the army; one man could cost an entire battle. Troubles of the persian army: the persians invaded greece, meaning they had to move through the landscape while supporting their soldiers. Main agriculture staples were olives and wine grapes, which thrived in bad soil.
