As a politician, Themistocles was a populist, having the support of lower-class Athenians, and generally being at odds with the Athenian nobility. Elected archon in 493 BC, he convinced the polis to increase the naval power of Athens, a recurring theme in his political career.
Who convinced the Athenians to build a navy?
Themistocles now argued that this newly found windfall be devoted to building a navy. The assembly split in two factions. Conservatives, represented by Aristides, argued against Themistocles, convinced that the Athenians should stick with what they knew: land-based infantry warfare.
What did the Oracle say that convinced the Athenians to abandon Athens?
All is ruin for fire and headlong god of war shall bring you low. ‘ When the message reached Athens the popular assembly fell into uproar and another envoy was quickly dispatched to the Oracle. … He won the day and then gave the order for Athens itself to be abandoned…
How did Themistocles trick the Athenians into fighting?
A Greek Trick To promote the belief that the allies were fragmenting, Themistocles began a ruse by sending a servant to Xerxes claiming that Athenians had been wronged and wished to switch sides. … Believing this information, Xerxes directed his fleet to block the Straits of Salamis and those of Megara to the west.How did Themistocles build up the navy?
Having just recently built up their naval power through the increased revenues from the silver mines, Themistocles capitalized on the moment, understanding that it was through naval power and not ground forces that would drive back the Persian Empire.
Why did the Athenians choose to fight at Salamis?
The Spartans wanted to return to the Peloponnese, seal off the Isthmus of Corinth with a wall, and prevent the Persians from defeating them on land, but the Athenian commander Themistocles persuaded them to remain at Salamis, arguing that a wall across the Isthmus was pointless as long as the Persian army could be …
How did the Athenian empire develop and gain power?
This rise occurred largely due to its prominent location and control of key trading routes and leadership in the wars against Persia. While other Greek cities held more powerful armies, such as Sparta, Athens’ leadership proved attractive and helped pave the way for its influence.
How did the Delian League work?
The Delian League (or Athenian League) was an alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens. … Athens became increasingly more aggressive in its control of the alliance and, on occasion, constrained membership by military force and compelled continued tribute which was in the form of money, ships or materials.Who was Pericles and how did he influence life in Athens?
Pericles, (born c. 495 bce, Athens—died 429, Athens), Athenian statesman largely responsible for the full development, in the later 5th century bce, of both the Athenian democracy and the Athenian empire, making Athens the political and cultural focus of Greece.
What did the oracle at Delphi tell Themistocles?The oracular text is debated back in Athens. … When Themistocles put forward this interpretation, the Athenians judged him to be a better counsellor than the readers of oracles, who would have had them prepare for no sea fight, and, in short, offer no resistance at all, but leave Attica and settle in some other country.
Article first time published onWhat was the first response of Pythia to the Athenians request for advice about Xerxes invasion?
After the Athenians received Pythia’s first answer about Xerxes’ invasion, they turned to a ritual asking for help from someone more powerful.
Why was the Delian League often referred to as the Athenian League?
The League’s modern name derives from its official meeting place, the island of Delos, where congresses were held in the temple and where the treasury stood until, in a symbolic gesture, Pericles moved it to Athens in 454 BC.
Did Themistocles make Athens great?
Themistocles had overseen the first major shipbuilding program in Greece, turned Athens into a dominant naval power for the first time, and secured its position as one of the most powerful cities in the Mediterranean.
Was Themistocles a good leader?
Themistocles was an Athenian general during the Greco-Persian war who emphasized the use of the naval power and proved to be a solid example of good leadership. Themistocles displayed himself to be extremely creative tactically in his naval plans to beat the huge Persian navy.
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. … Themistocles interpreted that prophecy as a call not for more walls to be built around the city but as a reason to build more (wooden) ships.
Why might an Athenian individual be ostracized?
While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citizen, ostracism was often used preemptively. It was used as a way of neutralizing someone thought to be a threat to the state or potential tyrant though in many cases popular opinion often informed the choice regardless.
How did the Athenian empire emerge?
The Megarians withdrew from alliance with Sparta and went into alliance with Athens. Athens thus gained an important base on the Eastern end of the Corinthian gulf, and also was able to block the Isthmus of Corinth. In the years after 460, the Delian League became the Athenian Empire.
How did Athens maintain power?
Athens moved to abandon the pretense of parity among its allies, and relocated the Delian League treasury from Delos to Athens, where it funded the building of the Athenian Acropolis, put half its population on the public payroll, and maintained the dominant naval power in the Greek world.
Why did the Athenians win?
Along with the tangible and strategic factors that propelled the Athenians to victory were several intangibles that factored in their favor, including their love of freedom and rights as citizens that they did not want to lose; the fear of what the Persians would do to their city and families if they were to lose the …
How did the Athenians defeat the Persian navy?
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. The Battle of Salamis was the first great naval battle recorded in history. …
What was the importance of the Athenians and Spartans working together?
As you learned earlier, Sparta and Athens worked together to win the Persian Wars. The Spartans fought most of the battles on land, and the Athenians fought at sea. After the war, the powerful Athenian fleet continued to protect Greece from the Per- sian navy.
How did Pericles contribute to Athenian greatness?
Pericles transformed his city’s alliances into an empire and graced its Acropolis with the famous Parthenon. His policies and strategies also set the stage for the devastating Peloponnesian War, which would embroil all Greece in the decades following his death.
How did Pericles change the government of Athens?
Pericles set about toppling the Areopagus (ar-ee-OP-uh-guhs), or the noble council of Athens, in favor of a more democratic system that represented the interests of the people. He introduced the practice of paying citizens to serve on juries, which allowed poor men to leave work and participate in the justice system.
How did Pericles improve the Athenian empire?
Pericles strengthened democracy in Athens by paying public officials. Pericles expanded the empire by building a strong naval fleet. Pericles rebuilt and beautified Athens.
How did the Delian League help Athens?
The Delian League was founded in 478 BCE following the Persian War to be a military alliance against any enemies that might threaten Ionian Greeks. It was led most notably by Athens, who protected all members unable to protect themselves with its massive and powerful navy.
How did Athens treat other city-states in the Delian League?
Over time, Athens began to use its influence to control the other member city-states. The league had become a group of city-states controlled by Athens. Pericles’s leadership helped Athens dominate the Delian League. He treated other city-states like subjects, demanding strict loyalty and regular payments from them.
Was the Delian League successful?
The Athenian-dominated Delian League enjoyed success after success against the Persians in the 470s and 460s. Within twenty years after the rout of the Persian fleet in the battle of Salamis in 479, almost all Persian garrisons had been expelled from the Greek world and the Persian fleet driven from the Aegean.
What did the oracle say to Alexander?
To his surprise the oracle refused a direct comment and asked him to come later. Furious, Alexander dragged Pythia by the hair out of the chamber until she screamed “You are invincible, my son!” ἀνίκητος εἶ ὦ παῖ. The moment he heard these words he dropped her, saying, “Now I have my answer”.
What did the oracle of Delphi say about Socrates?
The Oracle of Delphi, which found the sum of human wisdom in the expression “Know thyself,” also said that there was no man wiser than Socrates, from which one might conclude that no man knew himself better than Socrates.
What did the oracle at Delphi do?
Delphi was an important ancient Greek religious sanctuary sacred to the god Apollo. Located on Mt. Parnassus near the Gulf of Corinth, it was home to the famous oracle of Apollo which gave cryptic predictions and guidance to both city-states and individuals.
What did pythia predict?
Pythia told the Spartans, ”Hear your fate,” and gave a bleak prospect that they would be wiped out in one of two ways. The prophecy held true, and they were defeated at the Battle of Thermopylae. The Athenians, however, were told by Pythia to ”Pray to the Winds. They will prove to be mighty allies of Greece.
