The Persian Wars and the Parthenon

The Parthenon Temple on the acropolis in Athens built between 447 and 432 BCE. The Parthenon was built on the site of a previous temple to Athena that the Persians destroyed in their invasion of Greece in 480 BCE.

Hollywood depiction of the Persian ruler Xerxes.

A contemporary Persian depiction of Xerxes.

A contemporary Persian depiction of Xerxes predecessor Darius.

Persian Empire at its greatest extent Persian Empire at its greatest extent. The use of the term Achaemenid on the map is to the Persian dynasty that founded the Empire.

I. The Persians 1. Cyrus the Great (circa 550-530 BCE) 2. A Multi-Cultural Empire and Religious Toleration Persian rulers supported Zoroastrianism, but allowed their subject peoples to maintain their own religions Captured Babylon 539 BCE; allowed Jews to return to their homeland Issued Decrees to rebuild Temple in Jerusalem Efforts to Conquer the Greek Mainland 490-80 BCE

Persians came into contact with the Greeks at the end of the Greek Archaic period. Although the Greeks spoke related dialects and shared some religious beliefs and cultural practices they were divided into hundreds of different independent city states at this time.

Early Greek Civilization Minoan Culture (c. 2,000-1,500 BCE) Mycenaean Greece (c. 1,600-1,200 BCE) Dark Ages (c. 1,200-800 BCE) Homer? Archaic Period (750-500 BCE) Classical Period (500-327 BCE)

II. Reading the Parthenon (or any other building/work of art) 1. Without making inferences describe what you see. 2. Investigate the material context of whatever you are looking at. What is it made of, who made it, who paid for it? 3. Investigate the intellectual/cultural and political context. What ideas or conflicts provided the context?

The Parthenon was significantly larger than other Greek Temples of its time. In terms of the number of columns most temples were 6 x 13 while the Parthen was 8 x17. Moreover it was made from more expensive marble rather the usual and cheaper limestone. It also had far more relief sculptures adorning the frieze, metopes, and pediments.

See the podcast from the BBC/British Museum.

The Parthenon was dedicated to the goddess Athena the patron goddess of the city of Athens and a statue like this one would have been in the Temple. While the temple was a destination for processions during religious festivals it was not a site or center for regular congregations. Like other temples, it was also used as a treasury, because stealing from the temple was considered sacrilege.

Relief sculptures along the frieze.

Relief sculptures along the frieze Relief sculptures along the frieze. Scholars believe these figures represent five of the twelve Olympian gods.

Relief sculptures at the center and front of the frieze Relief sculptures at the center and front of the frieze. Scholars believe that the frieze as a whole represents the Panathenaic procession (a yearly religious festival dedicated to the goddess) or the original mythic first procession. In either case, the Athenians appear to be placing themselves in a space that was ordinarily only for gods and heros. In this fashion it can be read as illustrating the overconfident spirit of the Athenians during their high point between the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War with Sparta.

3. Political Context Built between 447-432 BCE: After Greco-Persian Wars before Peloponnesian War on the site where the Persians had destroyed the previous temple. How did the Greeks and Persians come into conflict?

Relevant Historical Developments Greek Colonization throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas (750-550) along Anatolian coast of Ionia (cities like Miletus) Ionian Greek cities become part of Persian Empire during the campaigns of Cyrus c. 540-30s BCE Ionian Greek Revolt 499 against Persians Sought help from Sparta and Athens; Athens participated in sack of Persian provincial capital of Sardis in Anatolia

Persians crush Ionian Revolt In revenge for Athenian support of Ionians Persian Naval Expedition 490 (See brown line on map)Battle of Marathon a small Athenian force successfully Greek phalanx to defeat Persians Xerxes’ Invasion 480 BCE; a massive army of 150,000 and 700 supply ships Out of 700 Greek city-states roughly 40 formed alliance to fight the Persians

Battles of Thermopylae (300 Spartans and 5,200 other Greeks held the Persians for two days; allowed evacuation of Athens and preparation for Salamis) Effectively using their triremes the Greeks are victorious in the naval battle of Salamis and destroy the Persian fleet Without support Xerxes must withdraw the bulk of his army; the surviving forces are defeated in 479 at Platea

Hoplite Greek infantry soldiers were called hoplites after the large round shields they used.

Phalanx

After the defeat of Persian invasion Sparta withdrew from alliance leaving Athens as its main leader Athens and other maritime poleis form the Delian League an anti-Persian defensive alliance 477 BCE Athens coerced the transfer of the League treasury from the Panhellenic sactuary at Delos to Athens in 454; used money from other members to built the Parthenon

The Political Relations of the Greek Poleis (449-431 BCE) Growing Athenian Dominance (Imperial Ambitions); neighbors and former allies viewed Athens as domineering and using League as the basis for its own empire The Parthenon symbolic of Athenian Imperial Ambitions Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta (431-404 BCE)

For the Thucydides Reading City-State: Sparta=Lacedaemon (region Peloponnese) City-State: Athens (region Attica) City-State: Mytilene (island of Lesbos) Hellas=Greece Hellenes=Greeks trireme=Greek battle ship