Role And Significance Of Themistocles In The Persian War

To what extent was the role and significance of Themistocles in the Persian Wars?

Themistocles significant role within the Persian War was a key factor to the Greeks success. The Greeks were outnumbered in naval and land forces, but Themistocles’s prevailing intelligence, strategies and leadership ensured Greeks success against Persia. Themistocles’s intelligence lead actions that greatly affected the outcome of the war. His intelligences to propose investment in Athens for future naval resources proved paramount for Greece retaliation. His critical analysis was crucial, and was responsible for Athens’s action to resist invasion. Themistocles strategic prowess often contrasting against other Greek leaders weakened Persian forces. Themistocles’s

Herodotus explains how Themistocles often “demonstrated how supreme his powers of analysis were” (Herodotus, pg. 297). It was Themistocles’s inspired planning that allowed Athens to have two hundred ships ready for battle before the Persian Empire could invade (Herodotus, pg. 497). Prior the Persian War the public treasury of the Athenians received generous revenue from the Laurium mines (Herodotus, pg. 497). It was decided that every Athenian citizen would be given 10 drachmas as personal dividend (Herodotus, pg. 497), this only benefitting a select few who were citizens. Themistocles however had a different proposal that would benefit the entire Polis. Proposing that they stop the distributions of dividends and instead divert the funds for state defence (Herodotus, pg. 497). He concluded that the funds should be spent building two hundred ships for war against the Aeginetans (Herodotus, pg. 497). This available resource of ships for war and the decisions for Athenians to become sailors proved crucial for Greeks continued independence, as these ships and knowledge were needed to oppose the

The significance of his actions both before and during the conflict were vital to the success of the Greek forces. His preparation to invest public wealth into an Athenian navy fleet ensured that the Greeks were able to refute the Persian forces at the beginning of the war. His intelligence and analysis to interpret the prophecy by the Oracle of Delphi guaranteed the Athenian fightback against the Persians. This intelligence was also applied to important strategies that weakened the Persian forces, without the loss of life and resources. By inscribing a message that Persian forces would ultimately find it sewed mistrust and desertion throughout the Persian ranks. His leadership was paramount and throughout the war he proved this. The most prominent example being at Salamis where he was able to both listen to his soldiers, and then devised a successful strategy that contradicted against the previous plan. Themistocles impact prior and throughout the Persian War was significant, its role ensuring that the Greeks were successful against the