Thermopylae: Myth, History, & Archaeology

Herodotus• 484-c.425 B.C.• Father of

History but Son of Myth

• Access to veterans of Persian wars

Plutarch

• 46-127 A.D.

• Life of Lycurgus the Law-giver

• Spartan Institutions & Life

Xenophon

• c.430-c.354• Mercenary in

Persian “civil war”

• Anabasis• “Warriors”• Spartan

Institutions

The Persian Empire 490 B.C.

Persian Empire

IRANAfghanistanIraqPakistanTurkmenistanLevant

Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine

Anatolia (Turkey)EgyptBulgaria

Origin of Persian Wars

• 500 B.C. Ionian Revolt• Greek Colonies on Coast of

Asia Minor rebel against Persian taxes & military service

• 498 B.C. Athens sends help, burns Sardis

• 495 B.C. Darius regains control of Ionia

• Darius (521-486 B.C.) plots revenge - invasion

• 492 B.C. Persian General Mardonius campaigns in Thrace

• 490 B.C. Persian Fleet sent to invade Greece

Battle of Marathon 490 B.C.

• Athenians led by Miltiades, former mercenary in Persian army

• Greek losses “192”

• Persian dead “6,400!”

2nd Persian Invasion

• Xerxes, son of Darius• 481 B.C. Greek

League against Persia

• Sparta commands but Athens the true naval power

• 480 B.C. Battle at Thermopylae

XerxesReliefs at Persepolis

Leonidas at Thermopylae (David)

Battle of Thermopylae

Battle of Salamis • 480/479 B.C. Battle at Salamis

• Greeks lose c.40 ships

• Persians lose c.200 ships, and Persians couldn’t swim!

• Immortals slaughtered on Psyttaleia

Triremes

Battle of Plataea

• 479 B.C. Battle at Plataea Death of Mardonius, End of Persian Invasion)

• Herodotus: only 43,000 of 250,000 Persians survived the battle, while the Greeks lost only 159 men!

The Hoplite Panoply

• Helmet• Shield• Breastplate/Cuirass• Greaves• Sword• Spear• Total Weight 50-70 lbs

Full Panoply

• (1) Helmet• (2) Cuirass• (3) Armguard• (4) Shield• (5) Belt• (6) Thigh Piece• (7) Greave• (8) Ankleguard• (9) Footguard• (10) Forearm

Guard.

The Shield• Convex wooden disc• Bronze overlay• Individual Decoration

for non-Spartan hoplites

The Cuirass

• Front and back pieces

• Linothorax

The Helmet• Corinthian

helmet late 6th - early 5th century

• Beards to prevent chafing?

The Chigi Vase 640-630 B.C.

Spartan Superiority

• Uniformity of Panoply

• Distinctive Spartan Shield

• Scarlet Cloak• Regular training

together & bonding in syssitia

The Phalanx

Spartans as Defenders of Freedom?

• “Dorian Invasion”• Northern Greek People

displace or conquer Achaean Greeks in Laconia & then Messenia

• Spartiates rule local residents, perioeci (merchants) & helots (agricultural serfs through fear and brutality inspired by the Krypteia (secret police)

EphialtesFrom TrachisSpartan EugenicsGreek CollusionNot deformedSpartan Bounty

on his Head

Tactics: Phalanx or Monomachia?

Spartan Sexuality

• “Spartan hotties vs. Persian trannies”?

• Athenian Boy-lovers?• No home life until 30!• The Mess-hall is cold

at night…• Institutionalized

(chaste?) pederasty• Husband-doubling &

Adultery

Spartan…Ummm…

Errr…

• This slide IS important but I have forgotten why…

• Karneia– 9 day festival of

Apollo

Spartan Society• Agoge: 7-17• Krypteia: 18-20• Syssitia: 21-30• Homoioi• Reserves: 31-60

• Women’s Rights?• Property• Sex• Education• Sports

Spartan Government

• 5 Ephors elected from the Spartiate class for 1 year

• 2 hereditary kings with equal authority (cp.2 Roman consuls)

• Gerousia (council of 28 elders over 65, elected for life, usually from royal households + the 2 kings)

• Damos – citizen assembly

Archaeology of Persian Wars

• Schliemann excavations!• Excavation of Burial Mound of

Plataeans• Tomb of Spartans found near

Thermopylae?• Persian Chariot Wheels as Votives in

Temple of Apollo and Artemis at Kalapodi