Casting Through Ancient Greece

The Persian forces had landed at Marathon Bay unopposed and had set up camp. The Athenians and Plataeans had now arrived at Marathon to challenge the Persians invasion. A stand off had ensured with both sides not taking the initiative, the Athenians debating wether to even fight at the Bay.

Eventually, Miltiades would convince his fellow Athenian commanders to give battle. With a rousing speech that would bring Callimachus round to the merits in his arguments. The Greeks were outnumbered and made arrangement to match the Persian line. This though, would provide a weak point for the Persians to exploit.

The Greek phalanxes crashed all along the Persian line, engaging in a manner, we are told, like never before, cover the distance at a run. It is still debated today what caused the Greeks to all of a sudden to act this day. The Persians would exploit the weak point in the Greek line but this early success would turn out to be a disaster. The Persians now were in a panic making their way back to their ships with the Greeks in toe, the carnage on the shore line would have been horrific.

Tradition would have it that news of the Persian rout would make its back to Athens by the first Marathon run by Pheidippides. The Persian were able to embark the survivors of the battle and now made their way to attempt a direct attack on Athens. Though as they came into view, they could see the Athenian force prepared to give battle once again. They had travelled back to Athens from Marathon bay well aware the acropolis had been left undefended. This would effectively see the end of the first Persian Invasion, but the Persians would be back.    

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With the region of Ionian in the Persian Empire back under control, Darius could now turn to other business. He had reportedly, after learning of the Athenian involvement in the revolt, had one of his servants repeat to him three times “Master, remember the Athenians” whenever he sat down to a meal. Remember the Athenians, and the others who had also dared assist the Ionians, he would.

An initial campaign was sent north into Thrace which also had a navy shadowing the land forces as they marched following the coast line. This campaign would ultimately run into disastrous problems causing the commander to return into the empire. The naval force would be destroyed, not by the Greeks but by a storm that whipped up as the fleet rounded the notorious Mt Athos. While, the land forces would encounter unexpected resistance from the Thracians who would also wound the Persian commander, Mardonious.

The second campaign would see a fleet assembled which would transport the Persian land forces across the Aegean in what would amount to an Island-hopping campaign. Along the way Persian policy towards those willing to submit and those who would resist were on full display, acting as an example to those yet to encounter the armada.

Accompanying the Persian fleet was the old exiled Tyrant of Athens, Hippias with the expectation that he would be re-established as the leader in Athens, answerable to Darius of course. Before landing in Attica the Persians first laid waste to another polis who had accompanied Athens during the revolt, Eretria. Once revenge had been taken against them the fleet now made its way to a bay along the Attic coast known as Marathon Bay. 

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We now arrive on the eve of the Greek and Persian wars. The Greek colonies of Ionian had traded one ruler for another and were now part of the Persian Empire. Their lack of freedom and rising taxes would see discontent grow. With some help from ambitious leaders, Ionia and surrounding regions would rise up in revolt.

The Ionians would seek help from their cousins back on the Greek mainland to assist in their plight. Only two city states, Athens and Eretria would answer the call with limited help, but it was enough for Darius to shift his gaze west.  

The ultimate goal of the rebels was to march onto Susa, one of the Persian capitals. But the campaign would be short lived with the Greek force being foiled at the first major city. Sardis. The Persian forces were able to force the battle of Ephesus and the Greeks were routed, with the Athenians and Eritreans returning home and taking no more part in the revolt.

The Persians now began systematically re subjugating the various regions along the Anatolian coast line in a series of campaigns lasting another 4 years. Eventually the revolt would be effectively defeated at the naval battle of Lade. Now though, with the prelude to the Greek and Persian wars over the Persian Empire would now begin preparations to move against the lands of Greece.

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The Casting Through Ancient Greece podcast is now moving into the Greek and Persian war period. We have spent the past 13 episodes looking at how things were developing in Greece that will help give us a better understanding of the periods moving forward.

This episode I talk about my experiences since starting the podcast, as well as the support I have received from other podcasts out there.

We spend the first part of the show going back and summarising the topics and themes we have spoken about over the past 13 episodes. Going all the way back to the first signs of human habitation in the Greece, all the way through to the last series of episodes where we looked at the development of 3 of our major players moving forward. Hopefully this helps with refreshing everyone’s memory of everything covered so far.

The last part of the episode I spend answering questions sent in by listeners ranging from topical questions to general show questions.

Stay tuned as we now move into the Greek and Persian wars.  

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With the founder, Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire now dead, power transitioned to his son Cambyses. The transition was relatively smooth and the empire remained stable and it was business as usual. Cambyses would lead a campaign and conquer Egypt but this is where his rule took a turn for the worse and the crisis shook the Persian court.

Cambyses reputation in the historical record suffered at the hands of the Egyptian priestly cast, who he was not popular with. Reports of an attempted coup from his brother or a conspiracy from the Magi, the Persian Priests, work their way into the account. Though, Cambyses would die on his way home when attempting to deal with the crisis.

Power now lay with a pretender and would so for the next seven months. Another conspiracy now developed with a band of nobles who sought to bring the Empire back under the rightful ruling line. The nobles would over throw the Magi controlling power leaving the job of ruling the empire coming down to one of them. Darius would be successful in being elevated to the title of King of Persia and was at pains to show his connection to the old ruling line.

Stability would return to the Empire after Darius dealt with the revoting regions of the empire. Once having full control of power Darius continue with the business of empire and expanded the territories even more. It would be in his rule that the Greek and Persian worlds would directly collide with the onset of the Greo-Persian wars, the Ionian revolt lighting the spark.   

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Now that we have seen the development of Sparta and Athens, two of our main players for the upcoming Greco-Persian Wars period, we need to look at a third. This time it is not a Greek city state, but an empire east across the Aegean Sea. This was the Persian Empire and would come to influence Greek affairs for centuries to come.

The main empire the Greeks had contact with in the Near East during the Achcahic period was that of the Lydian Empire who controlled most of Anatolia. In the late 6th century, the Lydian’s had brought the Ionian Greek cities dotted all along the Anatolian coast into their control. Though, as powerful and wealthy as the Lydians were a great threat appeared on their eastern boarder.

This threat was in the shape of the new power of Persia, who only a handful of years earlier was one of a number of Iranian groups occupying the Zagros Mountains. Events around them would see this relatively small group of peoples coming to dominate their region, before then expanding and creating the Persian Empire, which Lydia would become apart of.   

The founder of the Persian empire would become to be known as Cyrus the Great and like most founders there were traditional tales to explain his background and rise to greatness. In just his life time Cyrus would go onto create the largest empire the world had yet known, bringing the Greek world into direct contact with them. 

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Reforms had been but in place now from some important figures such as Draco and Solon. Though, they would not be enough to see democracy emerge and take hold just yet. The political front in Athens at this stage was looking very unstable with periods of anarchy, almost leading to civil war breaking out. This would see the type of leader emerge that had threatened to earlier, the tyrant. 

Factions were now forming around the geographical areas of Attica which fell roughly in line with the different demographics of the regions. From one of these factions emerged a leader who would become the first successful tyrant to take power in Athens. Though, it would take three attempts to successfully remain in power. Peisistratus would be Athens’ first tyrant, but not in a despotic sense, his rule would be seen move favourable than the previous leaders.

Once Peisistratus’ rule came to a natural end, his sons would take control seamlessly continuing the tyranny. After a long period of stability in Athens, assassination would see the tyranny take on a darker side. The surviving son, Hippias would become the despotic ruler we all now associate with the word tyrant today. Eventually Hippias would be removed with some outside help from Sparta.

Faction fighting would continue to plague Athens, though another leader, Cleisthenes would emerge. Under his leadership Athens would see many institutions and ideas further evolve and develop that would at the heart of a democratic system. Democracy as a political system was now rising in Athens.

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What started out as a small settlement atop a rocky outcrop over 5000 years ago would develop into the most recognisable symbol of democracy and culture. Athens would Survive relatively intact after the Bronze Age collapse, events during the Dark and Archaic Age setting them on a trajectory towards democracy. Some early figures such as Draco and Solon would be looked back to as founding many of the changes leading to this new innovation of politics in Athens.  

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The Institutions that would develop in Sparta are what made this Greek city state standout, even in modern times. Their interactions with their neighbours would help drive how these systems would take shape. Leading to one of the most militarised cities within Greece, the ancients not only fascinated by them but some even admiring them. 

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Developing and coming out of the Dark Ages, would be one of the most recognisable city states. Sparta would come into existence from the union of surrounding villages and the conquering of nearby regions. What would develop there, would be a unique social and political system, far different to the rest of the Greek world.

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