Supervisors info:
Σελήνη Ψωμά, Καθηγήτρια Αρχαίας Ιστορίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Σοφία Ανεζίρη, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια Αρχαίας Ιστορίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Νίκος Γιαννακόπουλος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Αρχαίας Ιστορίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Summary:
This essay is focused on the way that the Persian Wars are depicted during the first two centuries A.D. under the roman rule, which promotes the usage of this historical example and takes advantage of the Greek victory over the Persians, turning it into a timeless victory of the West (Greeks/ Romans) over the East (Persians/ Parthians) and the barbarians. The texts of the authors of the Second Sophistic, Aelius Aristides, Marcus Antonius Polemo, Plutarch and Dio of Prusa are the primary sources of information as far as the reception of the Persian wars is concerned with emphasis on the battles of Marathon, Artemision, Salamis and Plataea. It is clear that, on the most part, the Athenian victories and the city of Athens are highlighted because of the important role its citizens and leaders play.
The Panathenaic Oration of Aelius Aristides refers to Marathon and Salamis, praising Athenians for their initiative and uniqueness for standing before a large army (Marathon), their inclination to serve the common good, as well as Themistocles’ decisive contribution to the final conduct of the sea battle (Salamis). Polemo in To Cynegeirus and Callimachus lauds the bravery and struggle of two Marathon warriors, the son of Euphorion and brother of Aeschylus, Cynegeirus, and the polemarchos Callimachus, who sacrificed their lives and body in the battlefield. Plutarch with the Lives of Aristides and Themistocles presents the participation of the generals in four out of the six conflicts against the barbarians. Aristides takes part in Marathon, Salamina and Plataea and Themistocles in Marathon, Artemision, Salamina. The spirit of unity and cooperation promoted by the two Athenians for the good of all Greeks is also praised. Dio of Prusa towards the end of the Trojan Oration refers to the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae, degrading the importance of the first and distorting the result of the second with the Persians as the absolute victors.
The presentation of the Greco-Persian conflicts is supplemented by two works of the 5th century BC, Herodotus’ Stories and Aeschylus’ Persians. Herodotus, the historian form Halicarnassus provides details about Thermopylae and Mycale while Aeschylus, the tragic poet briefly comments on the earlier battle of Marathon and the ensuing battle in Plataea (via the resurrected Darius) focusing more on the naval battle of Salamis, which is presented, as the overall work, from the point of view of the defeated Persians.
At the end of our thesis, an overall presentation of the characteristics of the barbarians is attempted, as they appear in the aforementioned authors. The list of the features that characterize them consists of wealth, luxury, arrogance, lack of courage, trust and friends, features also attributed to tyrants.
As a result of our research, the timelessness of the value of the Persian Wars is emphasized, as they continue to form the subject matter of writers extending from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century AD, offering a strong ideological basis for the juxtaposition between the Greeks and the barbarians that concerns humanity throughout the centuries.
Keywords:
Augustus, cultural revolution, Second Sophistic, Persian Wars
