Dear my lovely family by writing this letter I'm letting you know that I'm doing well. I miss each and every one of you. I missed the smell of the fresh baked loaf of bread. It has been a very long lasting journey for me and my fellow mercenaries. We walked for almost four months. My feet is sore and I have blisters on them, but do not worry my love I am a man I can take the pain. I know you want to hear from me how the Battle of Cunaxa ended. I will try my best to explain to you in this letter, how we advanced the Persian Empire, how the generals were sized by pertains, and how this brave general Xenophon brought us back home safe. However, if I didn't have enough papers I will explain in details in person once I get back home in god's well. This was a big mistake …show more content…
He provided the ships and the money for Spartans, so they could beat the Athens. Cyrus developed this huge army and recruited more than 10,000 Greek mercenaries essentially from Peloponnesian prior to his mercenaries from Persia. We began marching toward the Persian empire. Although we were getting closer to Persians’ land, we found out that we were fighting a civil war between Persians. We demanded for more money to be paid for us. Cyrus agreed and we continued with our march. When we reached the battlefield closer and closer. We received orders from our general Clearchus that we the Greek mercenaries with the help of cavalry need to be on the right side of the river. Cavalries were carrying more weight than us because they had their shield, spears, and holding the their horses. Cyrus knew that general Clearchus was one of the best general because he trained us the mercenaries under the Spartans army. General Clearchus was very proficient at his training for example, he wanted make sure each of us the mercenaries knew how to use our weapons during the battle and follow orders. Cyrus the young himself
All these battles had significant impacts to either the war or the moral of the Greek Army. The most significant Battles were The Battle of Salamis and The Battle of Plataea. These battles also saw the contributions of many key individuals, which lead to the victory of the Greeks in the ends as well as the rise of the Greek navy. These Key individuals included Leonidas, Themistocles, Eurybiades and Pausanias. They all had major roles and all contributed differently through out the Persian invasions leading to the victory of the Greeks of the
The Persian War stemmed from the Ionian Revolt which began in 499 BC. The Ionians became a part of the Persian Empire in 546 BC, but after many years desired to break away from this forced bond. Therefore, the Ionians sought help from the mainland Greeks. The Athenians and Eretrians responded by sending ships, but eventually became more involved. "What began as a relatively minor involvement in the revolt became more serious when the Athenian and Eretrian forces aided in a surprise attack on Sardis, during which the city was set afire" (Demand 1996, 184). Although the Ionian revolt was ultimately unsuccessful, it sparked the anger of Darius, the King of Persia, that the Athenians dared to interfere with his vast empire. Herodotus writes he was so angry that he "ordered one of his servants to say to him three times every day before dinner, 'Sire, remember the Athenians" (Hdt. 5.105.2). Whether Darius really said this is questionable, but it is clear that either to exact venge...
The battle of Thermopylae was the Greek’s first stand against the massive army of King Xerxes, and was the most influential battle of the entire war. Up to this point, the Persian army was seen as too massive and powerful to be stopped. The once warring city-states of Greece knew they couldn’t stand against the Persians alone, and knew in order to defend their homeland they would have to unite. A unity of command was agreed upon; King Leonidas of Sparta was chosen to lead the Greek forces. He was chosen to lead because of the unsurpassed warring abilities the Spartans were so well known for made him perfect for the objective of stopping the Persians.
Xenophon used the third person narrative for introducing his character in the book. He then praises Cyrus, “of all the successors of Cyrus the Elder, no Persian was a more natural ruler and none more deserved to rule”. The Greeks do not desert him after the revelation of his plot against the Persian king because they would likely to get respect from him. Xenophon defines his own position that he came to Asia to become Cyrus’s friend, but not for the money and his own fame. He defends himself for not being ambitious with any military position, “he had come along not as a general, nor as a company commander, nor as a solider”. Throughout the rest of the books, Xenophon has made many remarkable speeches. He encourages the Greeks by regaining their dis...
The new Spartan general was an artful diplomat, with a strong personal relationship with the Persian prince Cyrus. Using this to its advantage, Sparta sailed to the Hellespont, the main source of Athens' grain. Forced to follow under threat of starvation, Athens were defeated in 405BC.
The Persian war brought massive change to the people of both Sparta and Athens. The Persians were great conquerors who crushed rebel cities with ease. King Darius sent a large force to punish Athens with its interference. The Persian army landed at Marathon where Athenian forces attacked. Though they were outnumbered 2 to 1 they emerged victorious. Athens had convinced Sparta and other city-states to join them in their battles.
The prominent theme of Anabasis is about the journey of the Greek mercenaries confronting the “barbarian” world. Xenophon documented the leadership and military tactics among the Greeks mercenaries during their retreat to their homeland. According to Xenophon, leadership was the important element of success and unification in ancient Greek culture. Xenophon admires Cyrus’s bravery and his leadership to the Greek mercenaries, “most of the troops has set sail and undertaken this mercenary service not because they were hard up, but because they had heard of Cyrus’ magnanimity” (Xenophon 144). Not only did Xenophon think Cyrus is a good leader, but also the Greeks. Xenophon defined Cyrus, a great leader, as being respectful, obedient to the elders, skilled at handling horse and proficient in the military skills of archery and javelin, trustworthy and ...
Good afternoon, let me just start by saying that the kindness, support, friendship, and love extended to me and my family during this difficult time has really touched my heart- we are sincerely appreciative!
The main reason that the Greeks were able to win the Second Greco-Persian War was the fact that their victory on the sea dealt a crippling blow to the land army. The Greeks owe their naval success to a man named Themistocles. If it had not been for him then Athens would have not used some newly found silver to build 200 new ships for their navy. These ships were later used in the war against the Persians. The two forces were working in unison and they were dependent upon each other for victory. The Persian naval forces were there in order to protect the flank of the army's advance. If the Persian navy were not present then the Greeks would have been able to get on ships and sail to a spot behind the Persian lines and outflank them. They also delivered supplies to the armies that were necessary for its survival.
In 646 BC the Persian armies, led by Cyrus, conquered the Greek city-state of Ionia, in Asia Minor. Despite the mildness of Persian rule, the Ionians did not like their conquerors. The Persians seemed barbaric to the cultured Ionians. The main objection to Persian rule, however, was that Ionians had been accustomed to self-government. The Persian king Darius I, who ruled over the conquered land of Ionia, was an all-powerful ruler. The Ionians never accepted the monarchy, and in 499 BC, they revolted against the Persians. Athens and another mainland polis, Eritrea, sent warships to help the Ionians, but Darius 1 of Persia soon defeated the Ionians. Darius then decided to punish the mainland Greeks for aiding the rebels revolt. Darius was so obsessed with punishing the Greeks that he employed a slave, whose sole responsibility was to say to him three times a day, at every meal, “Remember the Athenians”.
While Persian financial support undeniably contributed to the Spartan’s victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War, modern historians have over-emphasized the importance of that assistance to their eventual victory. Persian money allowed the Peloponnesian forces to stay in the fight, which had quickly dissolved into a war of attrition after the Athenian’s defeat at Syracuse. However, there were several negative aspects of the Persian/Peloponnesian alliance which detrimentally affected Sparta’s ability to effectively wage war against Athens. Included in this was the tendency for Persian Satraps to withhold pay and reinforcements, or to provide that pay irregularly. Additionally, Persia’s insistence that Sparta recognize their control over all Ionian cities prior to any treaty being completed led
Dignity and loyalty are two words that continue to flash before me as I type this letter. Witnessing the loss of fellow members and the anguish this causes was a dagger to my heart. Never the less you pressed on with your heads held high and the ambition to do even more action the very next morning, depicts the true spirit that lies in each of you.
If an enemy tried to stand up to them , they would demolish them and take over their land. They kept many different people under their control. The Spartans were part of most major battles in the Greek area during this time period. They fought the Peloponnesian Wars (5th Century BCE) and Corinthian Wars(4th Century BCE), which they mostly dominated(Wilkes, 2015). They took part of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, where they only had a few hundred Spartans fighting alongside some Greeks, to destroy the Persian’s advances into their land. In fact, there was only three-hundred Spartan men in the battle led by Leonidas. They had a few thousand Greeks that were helping them. The Persian king, Xerxes, made this attack to revenge his father’s death in an earlier war against Greece. The battle took place in Thermopylae, which means Hot Gates, because that is where the Persians were advancing and it gave the Spartans soldier better ground through the very narrow
This logic struck Cyrus so much that he acted on the advice of Croesus and reclaimed the booty. Here Cyrus is portrayed as a rational, just ruler, who treats conquered subjects with restraint. This is in contrast to the loser in the struggle, Croesus, who, although Herodotus represents as wise and strong, is much too hasty. When he received the prophecy from the Oracle at Delphi of “If you attack, you will destroy a great empire,” in response to his question of whether he should bring the fight to the Achaemenids, he rushed across the river to attack Cyrus’s position, eager to destroy a great empire. Of course, the ambiguity of the oracle was his undoing, as it was his own Lydian empire that he destroyed. In this episode, Herodotus is not afraid to admit the faults of his Ionian Greek brethren, or to ascribe positive attributes to the Greek’s enemy.
This letter has a sad story to tell you. Your boy Victor was killed yesterday ...