Task number 49. Answer the questions

Remember ancient Greek myths. Which of the heroes could express their parental grief in such words? On what occasion could they be said?

1. Do not judge the unfortunate father. Yes, I have no one to blame for the death of my son. I know, I know, a man is not a bird ... But the world created by the gods is amazingly beautiful when you look at it from a height! Believe, people will become subject to heaven!

Daedalus on the death of his son Icarus. Daedalus made wings and flew away from Crete with his son, but Icarus approached very close to the Sun and died

2. Athenians, I recognize a ship in the sea! Oh, I would rather die than see this terrible color of the sails! My son is dead... Damn the horned monster! I don't want to live anymore and I can't!

King Aegeus, when he saw a black sail in the sea, which should have been raised on a ship in the event of the death of his son Theseus, Aegeus threw himself into the sea from a cliff

3. They separated me from my beloved daughter by deceit! So let all the flowers wither, all the trees dry up and the grass burn out! Give me back my daughter!

The goddess of fertility and agriculture Demeter, when her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by the god of the underworld Hades

Task number 50. Remember the ancient Greek myth

What is the name of the goddess depicted in the picture of our time? What is her son's name? Describe and explain the actions of the goddess. What catchphrase is associated with her actions? In what cases can this expression be used today?

The figure depicts the sea goddess Thetis with her son Achilles. Being a goddess, Thetis gave birth to a son from a mortal and, wanting to make Achilles immortal, immersed him in the waters of the Styx, a river in the underworld of Hades. At the same time, the heel, for which Thetis held her son, remained vulnerable. This is where the expression "Achilles' heel" came from, which today is used to denote someone's weakness.

Task number 51. Remember the ancient Greek myth

What is depicted in the picture of our time? By whom, for what and how was the hero of this myth punished? What is his name? Who freed him?

The picture shows Prometheus, chained to a rock, to which an eagle flew every day and pecked at his liver. So Prometheus was punished by Zeus for stealing the divine fire and giving it to people. Freed Prometheus Hercules

Task number 52. Remember the ancient Greek myth

Describe and explain the actions of the people depicted in the picture of our time. What terrible event followed these actions? What winged expression is associated with the animal shown in the picture?

The picture shows people dragging a statue of a horse into the city. The Greeks, unsuccessfully besieging Troy, according to the idea of ​​​​Odysseus, as a sign of reconciliation, presented the Trojans with a huge statue of a horse, inside which they hid the soldiers. At nightfall, they got out and opened the city gates, letting in the army of the Greeks. Troy was captured and burned. This is where the expression "Trojan horse" came from, meaning an ordinary, harmless-looking thing with a hidden threat. (Another expression is “Fear the Danes who bring gifts”)

Task number 53. Solve the crossword "From the history of Ancient Greece"

Horizontally: 1. Sister-goddesses, patrons of poetry, arts and sciences (muses). 2. The word that the Greeks called their country (Hellas). 5. One of the most educated women of Hellas, the wife of Pericles (Aspasia). 7. King of Macedonia, father of Alexander (Philip). 9. Participants of the theatrical performance, united in a group; they portrayed either friends of the main character, or townspeople, or warriors, and sometimes animals (chorus). 10. Goddess, considered the patroness of Attica (Athena). 12. The city near which Alexander defeated Darius and captured his family (Iss). 14. Hill in Athens - a place of public meetings (find its name on the city plan in the textbook) (Pnyx). 15. The sculptor who created the statue of the discus thrower (Miron). 16. The passage between the mountains and the sea, where three hundred Spartans accomplished a feat (Thermopylae). 18. The ruler of Athens, who forbade the enslavement of unpaid debtors (Solon). 19. One of the two main policies of Hellas (Sparta). 20. A friend of Alexander who saved his life at the Battle of the Granicus (Cleitus). 22. Competitor in running, fisticuffs, etc. (athlete). 23. Greek colony not far from the Black Sea coast, visited by Herodotus (Olbia). 24. People whom the Greeks called "animate property and the most perfect of tools" (slaves). 25. The famous leader of the demos, whom the Athenians chose for many years to be the first strategist (Pericles). 27. Spartan king, under whose command the Greeks defended Thermopylae from the Persians (Leonid). 29. A comedy fairy tale in which the chorus and actors depict the construction of a city between heaven and earth (Birds). 30. A place in Hellas, where the all-Greek games were held every four years (Olympia). 31. Temple of Athena the Virgin in the city of her name (Parthenon). 32. Goddess of victory, whose temple was erected on the Acropolis (Nika). 34. Poet, author of tragedies ("Antigone" and others) (Sophocles). 36. Athenian strategist who commanded the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon (Miltiades). 42. Phoenician city, which showed fierce resistance to the troops of Alexander the Great (Tyre). 43. The king who led the Persian invasion of Greece (Xerxes). 44. A bronze or stone object intended for throwing in competitions (disc). 45. An evergreen tree that produces oily fruits (olive). 47. Main square in Athens (Agora). 48. Writer, nicknamed "the father of history" (Herodotus). 49. Alexandrian scientist who created a textbook on geometry (Euclid). 50. One of the main regions of Central Greece (Attica). 51. A person who knows how to make speeches (orator).
Vertical: 1. The city near which the Greeks first defeated the Persians (Marathon). 3. A city in Greece, famous, according to Socrates, "for its wisdom and power" (Athens). 4. Macedonian king, an outstanding commander (Alexander). 5. Poet, author of comedies (“Birds”, etc.) (Aristophanes). 6. The heroine of the tragedy of the same name by Sophocles (Antigone). 8. The main port of the Athenian state (Piraeus). 9. A city in Greece, near which the Greeks were defeated and lost their independence (Cheronea). 11. Athenian strategist who ensured that the naval battle with the Persians was given in the narrow Strait of Salamis (Themistocles). 13. The famous sage, sentenced to death by the Athenian court (Socrates). 14. A city in Greece, near which the land army of Xerxes (Platea) was defeated. 17. Enslaved by the Spartans, the inhabitants of Laconia and Messenia (helots). 18. Island (in the strait between it and Attica, the Persian fleet was defeated) (Salamin). 21. A metal or bone stick, which was used to squeeze out letters on boards rubbed with wax (stylus). 25. The people whose kings were Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes (Persians). 26. Places in Athens where adult citizens did gymnastics, met with friends, listened to speeches by scientists (gymnasium). 28. Greek word, translated meaning "people" (demos). 29. Greek word, translated meaning "city" (polis). 33. Hill with steep and steep slopes in the center of Athens (Acropolis). 35. The construction of infantry in close close ranks, usually in the form of a rectangle (phalanx). 37. Greek word, translated meaning "a place for spectacles" (theater). 38. The name of the Persian king, whose troops were defeated by Alexander the Great (Darius). 39. Sculptor, creator of the statue of Athena in the Parthenon (Phidias). 40. Warship with three rows of oars (trireme). 41. A part of the theatre, a building adjoining the orchestra (skena). 46. ​​Island near Alexandria, on which a huge lighthouse was erected (Pharos)

Task number 54. Find mistakes and describe them

One teacher jokingly said in class:

“They say that Aspasia, the wife of the strategist Pericles, in her youth loved to play the role of Antigone in the Athenian theater, she also performed with great success in other tragedies.
The Athenians liked the game of Aspasia. Having completed their daily business, every evening they hurried to the theater in order to be in time for the start of the performance. One day Aspasia's friends came before everyone else. After paying for the tickets, they sat in the front row near the orchestra itself. They did this in order to see Aspasia's face well during the theatrical action. From the first row one could see all the movements of the actress's face, conveying the emotional experiences of Antigone. However, it began to rain heavily, through the leaky roof the theater was flooded with water, and the performance had to be interrupted. Aspasia was so upset that she never performed in an Athenian theater again.”
The students did not take this story seriously and found at least six errors in it. How many bugs can you find?

1. During the youth of Aspasia, the tragedy of Sophocles "Antigone" did not exist;

2. Women did not take part in theatrical productions - only men were actors;

3. Theatrical performances were not given daily, but only a few times a year;

4. Theatrical performances went on during daylight hours and began early in the morning;

5. The first row was intended only for guests of honor: strategists, priests, olympians;

6. "Paid" were all other (except the first row) seats;

7. It was impossible to see the face of the actor, as the roles were performed in masks;

8. The ancient Greek theater had no roof

Test yourself.

1. Remember the ancient Greek myths. Specify what the artist depicted in the drawings.

The figure depicts a scene from the myth of Achilles. His mother, the sea goddess Thetis, in an effort to protect her son, dipped him into the waters of the river of the dead Styx. Achilles became invulnerable. However, the heel, by which Thetis held him, remained unprotected. It was in the heel that Paris hit Achilles with an arrow and killed him.

The figure shows the scene of the horse statue being brought into Troy. The Greek army unsuccessfully besieged the city for 10 years. Odysseus came up with a trick that helped the Greeks take Troy. The Greeks made a wooden figure of a horse, sheltered a shock detachment inside it, boarded ships and retreated from Troy. The Trojans considered the statue a sign of reconciliation and dragged it into the city. At night, Greek soldiers climbed out of the statue and opened the gates of the city, into which the Greek army broke into.

The figure depicts a scene from the myth of the titan Prometheus, who stole the sacred fire from the forge of Hephaestus and brought it to people, teaching them how to make and keep fire. For this, Zeus severely punished Prometheus. He was chained to a rock, and an eagle flew every day and pecked out the liver of Prometheus.

2. Solve the crossword "From the history of ancient Greece."

Horizontally:

• 1. Sister-goddesses, patrons of poetry, arts and sciences. - Muses
• 2. The word that the Greeks called their country. - Hellas
• 5. One of the most educated women of Hellas, the wife of Pericles. - Aspasia
• 7. King of Macedonia, father of Alexander. - Philip
• 9. Participants of the theatrical performance, united in a group; they depicted either friends of the main character, or townspeople, or warriors, and sometimes animals. - choir
• 10. Goddess, considered the patroness of Attica. - Athena
• 12. The city near which Alexander defeated Darius and took his family prisoner. - Iss
• 14. A hill in Athens - a place of public meetings (find its name on the city plan on p. 173 of the textbook). - Pnyx
• 15. The sculptor who created the statue of the discus thrower. - Myron
• 16. The passage between the mountains and the sea, where three hundred Spartans accomplished a feat. - Thermopylae
• 18. Ruler of Athens who abolished debt slavery. - Solon
• 19. One of the two main policies of Hellas. - Sparta
• 20. A friend of Alexander who saved his life at the Battle of Granik. - clitus
• 22. Competitor in running, fisticuffs, etc. - Athlete
• 23. Greek colony near the Black Sea coast, which Herodotus visited. - Olbia
• 24. People whom the Greeks called "animate property and the most perfect of tools." - Slaves
• 25. The famous leader of the demos, whom the Athenians chose for many years to be the first strategist. - Pericles
• 27. Spartan king, under whose command the Greeks defended Thermopylae from the Persians. - Leonid
• 29. Comedy-fairy tale, in which the chorus and actors depict the construction of a city between heaven and earth. - Birds
• 30. A place in Hellas where pan-Greek games were held every four years. - Olympia
• 31. Temple of Athena the Virgin in the city of her name. - Parthenon
• 32. Goddess of victory, whose temple was erected on the Acropolis. - Nika
• 34. Poet, author of tragedies ("Antigone" and others). - Sophocles
• 36. Athenian strategist who commanded the Greeks at the battle of Marathon. - Miltiades
• 42. Phoenician city, which showed fierce resistance to the troops of Alexander the Great. - Tyr
• 43. The king who led the Persian invasion of Greece. - Xerxes
• 44. A bronze or stone object intended for throwing in competitions. - Disk
• 45. An evergreen tree that produces oily fruits. - Olive
• 47. Main square in Athens. - Agora
• 48. Writer, nicknamed "the father of history." - Herodotus
• 49. Alexandrian scientist who created a textbook on geometry. - Euclid
• 50. One of the main regions of Central Greece. - Attica
• 51. A person who knows how to make speeches. - Speaker

Vertically:

• 1. The city near which the Greeks first defeated the Persians. - Marathon
• 3. A city in Greece, famous, according to Socrates, "for its wisdom and power." - Athens
• 4. Macedonian king, an outstanding commander. - Alexander
• 5. Poet, author of comedies ("Birds", etc.). - Aristophanes
• 6. The heroine of the tragedy of the same name by Sophocles. - Antigone
• 8. The main port of the Athenian state. - Piraeus
• 9. City in Greece, near which the Greeks were defeated and lost their independence. - Chaeronea
• 11. Athenian strategist, who ensured that the naval battle with the Persians was given in the narrow Strait of Salamis. - Themistocles
• 13. The famous sage, sentenced to death by the Athenian court. - Socrates
• 14. A city in Greece, near which the land army of Xerxes was defeated. - Plataea
• 17. Enslaved by the Spartans, the inhabitants of Laconia and Messenia. - Helots
• 18. Island (the Persian fleet was defeated in the strait between it and Attica). - Salamis
• 21. A metal or bone stick, which was used to squeeze out letters on boards rubbed with wax. - stilo
• 25. The people whose kings were Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes. - Persians
• 26. Places in Athens where adult citizens did gymnastics, met with friends, listened to speeches by scientists. - gymnasium
• 28. Greek word, translated meaning "people." - Demos
• 29. Greek word, translated meaning "city". - Policy
• 33. A hill with steep and steep slopes in the center of Athens. - Acropolis
• 35. Formation of infantry in tight close ranks, usually in the shape of a rectangle. - Phalanx
• 37. Greek word, translated meaning "a place for spectacles." - Theatre
• 38. The name of the Persian king, whose troops were defeated by Alexander the Great. - Darius
• 39. Sculptor, creator of the statue of Athena in the Parthenon. - Phidias
• 40. Warship with three rows of oars. - Trier
• 41. Part of the theater, building adjoining the orchestra. - Skena
• 46. ​​An island near Alexandria, on which a huge lighthouse was erected. - Faros

3. List the sources with which scientists have recreated the history of Ancient Greece.

Scientists have recreated the history of ancient Greece, based on various historical sources left over from those times: written sources, including works of art; the results of archaeological research and the remains of the material culture of the ancient era (the ruins of temples, copies of statues, etc.), the study of myths and folklore of the peoples of Ancient Greece and numerous colonies of the Mediterranean.

4. Was there a relationship between the natural and climatic conditions of Ancient Greece and the occupations of its inhabitants?

There was a strong dependence of the traditional occupations of the inhabitants of Ancient Greece on natural and climatic conditions. The climate of Greece was dry and hot. Rain fell infrequently. There were no large rivers in rocky and mountainous Greece. Mountain ranges divide Greece into many narrow and isolated valleys with access to the sea. There are few vast fertile plains here. In the ancient Greek period, three-quarters of the territory was pasture and only one-eighth was arable land.

The nature of Greece in the first place favored such activities as navigation, metalworking, handicrafts. The Greeks were actively engaged in fishing, were good sailors and mastered sea routes for trade with the peoples and countries of the Mediterranean. The Greeks were engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture. Cattle breeding prevailed in the mountainous regions, and agriculture prevailed in the plains. The ancient Greeks also planted fruit trees, planted stony mountain slopes with vines, from which they made wine. They also cultivated olive trees and squeezed oil from its fruits.

5. Many myths and legends of ancient Greece have survived to this day. How do you think you can tell fact from fiction? How do you understand the phrase "historical research"?

Indeed, in ancient Greece there are many myths and legends. However, not all of them are confirmed by historical sources - written documents, results of archaeological excavations, etc. For example, the fact of the Trojan War would have remained a myth if Ancient Troy had not been discovered during the excavations.

Historical research is a type of research in which, from the totality of historical events and sources that have come down to us, select those that matter, use them to draw up a historical picture and explain the cause-and-effect relationships between events.

6. Compare the education system in Sparta and Athens. If you had to choose where would you like to study and why?

I believe that any system of education should serve certain social goals. Therefore, if we compare the systems of raising children in Sparta and in Athens, then we need to understand what purpose these systems pursued. When raising boys in Athens, they sought to create a harmonious, spiritually developed personality with a physically perfect body. The education system in Sparta produced professional warriors whose only job was to fight, kill and be killed. Each system of education was very effective for its tasks. But since the life of a city or state cannot be one-sided and built solely to solve military problems, I believe that the system of education in Athens was more correct in terms of the effective and comprehensive development of society in the state.

7. Why did the Greeks establish colonies? List the names of the Greek colonies in the Black Sea region.

The population of Greece grew, and due to the lack of a large amount of fertile land, there was not enough bread for everyone. The Greeks went to live in overseas countries in search of happiness in a foreign land. Also, the Greeks left their homes for other reasons. The constant struggle between the demos and the nobility made itself felt, if somewhere the nobility lost, then it left the country, if the demos lost, then the leaders, fearing the revenge of their opponents, left the city. However, there were also planned expeditions with equipped ships, food supplies and military guards. Such expeditions were arranged precisely for the purpose of colonizing lands and developing trade. So, in the Black Sea region, the Greeks founded a number of colonies: Olbia, Chersonesus, Tyra, Kerkinitida, Kalos-Limen, Theodosia, Panticapaeum, Istria, Phasis, Trebizond, Heraclea, etc.

8. When and where did the Olympic Games appear? Discuss why these competitions have survived the centuries and today representatives of different countries and continents take part in them.

The first documented Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. in the city of Olympia. These competitions are a religious and sports festival that glorifies the gods of the Olympic gods and the cult of the body that existed in ancient Greece. The winners of the games were revered as heroes. During the games, a sacred truce was declared. The Olympic Games essentially lost their importance with the advent of the Romans. After Christianity became the official religion, the games began to be seen as a manifestation of paganism, and in 393 A.D. e. they were banned by Emperor Theodosius I. The Olympic Games were revived in 1896 with the aim of developing international understanding and improving the physical culture of mankind. The French Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the initiator of the modern Olympic Games, said that the youth of the world should measure their strength in sports, and not on the battlefield. The revival of the Olympic Games seemed in his eyes the best solution to achieve both goals.

9. Calculate (in writing) how many years ago the Battle of Marathon took place (if you have any difficulty, refer to Chapter 3 of the textbook "Counting Years in History").

The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC, that is, 2508 years ago (2018 + 490 BC = 2508 years).

10. What contribution did the philosophers, sculptors, architects of Ancient Greece make to world science and art?

Philosophers, sculptors, architects of ancient Greece made a huge contribution to world science and art. Their activities formed the canons that are still applied today. For example, Euclid's elementary geometry is still taught in schools; the anatomy of human muscles in the dynamics of Myron's sculptures and the canon of the image of the human body at rest in the sculptures of Polikleitos became a model for many generations of sculptors; Aristarchus of Samos, long before Galileo, proposed the heliocentric system of the world and developed a scientific method for determining the distances to the Sun and Moon and their sizes; Eratosthenes of Cyrene was the first to calculate the size of the Earth and suggested the possibility of traveling around the world; the ancient Greek playwrights Aeschylus and Aristophanes are considered the fathers of modern tragedy and comedy, and the influence of Homer's poems is generally compared with the influence of the Bible.

eleven*. Explain the meaning of the word "democracy". Which form of government was, in your opinion, more progressive: Athenian democracy or the power of the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt? Justify your answer.

Forms of government in ancient Egypt and Athens can be viewed from different points of view: justice, efficiency. Each will have its own advantages and disadvantages. Was the tyranny (rule of one) of Ancient Egypt effective? Rather, yes, since all decisions were made by one person, whom the subjects considered almost a god. No one has the opportunity to object, argue, evade the execution of an order. All solutions are implemented quite easily. Is such a government fair? From the point of view of an ordinary man in the street - no, it is not fair. Almost all subjects are essentially servants. But if you ask an ancient Egyptian, is it fair that one pharaoh rules Egypt. Surely they would have heard the answer, of course, fairly, he is the son of God.

Was the democratic government in Athens effective? Most likely not very much. Imagine what you need to overcome in order to realize this or that idea. Endless disputes in the Council of Five Hundred and at the National Assembly, opposition from ill-wishers and envious people, subsequent accusations of inefficiency, investigations, search for evidence, etc. However, is such a rule fair? Of course, since all citizens have the same rights in governing the state, and the power is clearly limited in its actions. And any ancient inhabitant of Athens will say that this is the best form of government.

But if we consider tyranny and democracy from the point of view of progressiveness, i.e. evolutionary development, then of course the democracy of Athens is a consequence or a so-called response to Egyptian tyranny. The development of society, social and economic relations predetermined the development of the management system from the power of one to the power of many. Democracy is associated with a number of values ​​that are considered the pinnacle of the achievements of modern mankind: legality, political and social equality, freedom, the right to self-determination, human rights. Naturally, these values ​​are not particularly revered in the conditions of tyranny. The Greeks believed that with the introduction of a democratic form of government, they would limit the arbitrariness and abuse of power, which are almost the norm for a tyrannical regime of government. Therefore, the democracy of Athens is a more progressive form of government than the tyranny of Egypt.

12*. Do historical research: compare the religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks and the ancient Egyptians. Write down their similarities and differences.

Both in ancient Egypt and in ancient Greece there were pagan traditions with a whole pantheon of gods responsible for various natural phenomena. In ancient Egypt, the gods had mostly zoomorphic appearances, and in ancient Greece they had a completely human appearance. The gods of the Greeks had a more pronounced human essence: they thought, quarreled, loved, reconciled, fought, argued, wandered around the world of people. The difference from people was that the ancient Greeks endowed the gods with supernatural powers that were beyond the power of mere mortals. The gods are immortal, the gods command the fate of people. The gods of the Egyptians are more detached from the world - they are unattainable for an ordinary person, they rule the world of people and judge them for certain actions. Beliefs in the Olympic gods implied a person's desire for self-development and improvement of his body. The gods of the Greeks were a role model, the highest standard. The ordinary Egyptian could not even dream of standing on the same level with the gods.

13*. Start working on the project "History in faces". We advise you to collect information about people whose names are still remembered today (to choose from: Herodotus, Homer, Socrates, Diogenes, Themistocles, Pericles, Alexander the Great, etc.). At the end of the school year, it is desirable to prepare a message (accompanied by an electronic presentation) about your hero.

You can use the following text for your presentation:

Themistocles - military genius and victim of democracy

Everyone knows the deeds of the great heroes of Hellas, they composed songs about them, revered them in temples - they remained forever in world history. However, most of them are just a myth that has not received historical confirmation. We do not know how real the heroes of Greek poems and myths Achilles, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, etc. were. Maybe the Greeks only dreamed of being heroes and invented great ancestors for themselves, representing nothing in themselves? I'm sure it's not. Hellas brought up real heroes, without whom the existence of this freedom-loving country would have been in question as early as the 5th century BC.

So, the enemy stands at the threshold of Greece. The invasion of the great army of the Persian king Xerxes has already begun. King Leonid bravely fights with his three hundred Spartans in the Thermopylae Gorge, covering the retreat of the Greek army. It was at this time that the star of another son of Greece, Themistocles, rises.

Themistocles was born in 524 BC. Despite the fact that his mother was a native of Halicarnassus and in Athens he was considered illegitimate, he managed to obtain civil rights. By the time of the invasion of the army of Xerxes, Themistocles had already managed to be in the position of archon, in 490 to take part in the Battle of Marathon as a strategist. He was actively involved in politics and joined the democratic group, which reflected the interests of the trade and crafts and the Athenian poor. Themistocles rose to the pinnacle of power solely due to his abilities. The Athenian aristocrats, who previously reigned supreme in the city, always resisted his influence. If not for the crisis caused by the invasion of the Persians, the highest positions in Athens, perhaps, would continue to be occupied not by merit, but by birthright. In 487, on his initiative, the archons in Athens began to be elected by lot, which allowed people who were not very wealthy to be nominated for this position. In 483, at his suggestion, the Athenians expelled the leader of the aristocratic party, Aristides; in the same year Themistocles was re-elected to the post of strategist.

Themistocles was the first political figure who realized that the future of Athens depended largely on the navy. He invited the Athenians to use the income from the Lavrian silver mines for the construction of warships - triremes. Rather, Themistocles had to break through all democratic barriers and defeat all his ill-wishers, who opposed the huge spending on building a fleet. In fact, he forced the Athenians to make a decision that subsequently saved Hellas. By 480, the Athenians had completed Themistocles' plan by building two hundred triremes.

Themistocles was one of the few Greeks who understood the power of a united Greece. It was at the call of Themistocles that the Hellenic Union of thirteen policies was created to repel the Persian invasion. And Themistocles was right. The land army was unable to keep the Persians in the Thermopylae Gorge. Hope remained for the fleet. In July 480, Themistocles led a Greek fleet of 271 ships at the Battle of Cape Artemisium, where the Persians were defeated. Themistocles attack prevented the Persian fleet from approaching the coast and hitting the Greek army in the Thermopylae Gorge. It turns out that the heroes of Thermopylae were not only the Spartans of King Leonidas who gave their lives. Without the help of the fleet, the feat of the Spartans could not have saved the retreating Greek army.

Realizing that the only chance of the Greeks was to defeat the Persians at sea, Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to leave their hometown, and transferred the combat-ready citizens to the ships. One can imagine the fury of the Athenians, who had to surrender the city to the Persians for destruction. There is also such an example in Russian history - the withdrawal of Kutuzov's army in order to preserve the army and the surrender of Moscow to Napoleon. But Themistocles could not know Kutuzov's maneuvers, but Kutuzov could know Themistocles' tactics.

When the population from Athens was evacuated, Themistocles again had to persuade the freedom-loving Greeks to stay at Salamis and meet the Persian fleet here, and not flee to the Peloponnese. While the Greeks hesitated, fearing that the Persian fleet would block them in the strait, Themistocles informed Xerxes that the Greeks were planning to flee, and advised them to immediately attack them. Betrayal? Not at all. It was a cunning strategic move. As a result, the Persians entered a narrow and dangerous strait, where they could not take advantage of their superiority in the number of ships, as well as their seaworthiness, which brought the Greeks the famous victory at Salamis. Themistocles himself in the Battle of Salamis commanded 180 Athenian triremes, which played a decisive role in the defeat of the Persian fleet. After the expulsion of the Persian hordes from Hellas, the Greeks began to call Themistocles "the hero of Salamis", even Sparta gave him unprecedented honors.

Subsequently, Themistocles did a lot to restore and strengthen Athens, trying to turn them into the most powerful policy of Hellas. He is credited with the plan for the construction of the Long Walls, which were supposed to connect Athens with Piraeus and thereby guarantee the safety of the city. Themistocles laid the foundation for the formation of the Delian Maritime Union, which included the coastal and island Greek policies; Athens played a decisive role in this alliance.

Everything is fine, Themistocles became the universal favorite of Hellas and ... a victim of democracy. The unprecedented fame and authority of Themistocles caused the Athenians to suspect that they were striving for tyranny. In 471, at the suggestion of the leader of the Athenian aristocrats Kimon Themistocles, they were expelled from Athens. After long wanderings, he and his family retired to Persia to King Artaxerxes I, who granted him political asylum and gave him control over three cities in Asia Minor: Magnesia, Lampsak and Munt. In 459, the hero of Hellas Themistocles died of an illness or, according to a number of accounts, took poison and committed suicide after learning that the Persian king was going to send him to fight the Greeks. This is how democratic Greece repaid the man who saved her from Persian slavery. Friends secretly buried him in Attica, on one of the capes of Piraeus.

Subsequently, there were many rumors about Themistocles. He was accused of betrayal, and theft, and bribery, and debauchery. Today it is already impossible to determine which of this is true and which is the intrigues of spiteful critics. Here is what Thucydides, the largest ancient Greek historian, the founder of historical science, the author of The History of the Peloponnesian War, wrote about Themistocles:

“Themistocles was extremely gifted by nature and deserves in this regard, like no other, the greatest surprise ... Distinguished by outstanding sharpness of mind, he was the greatest master of quickly understanding and making decisions in the unforeseen circumstances of the current moment and, in addition, had an exceptional ability to foresee events even distant future. Whatever he undertook, he always found suitable words and expressions to explain his actions to others, and even in that area with which he did not directly come into contact, he was able to immediately find a sound judgment. By insignificant signs, Themistocles could see whether they foreshadowed something good or bad. In short, he was a man to whom his genius and quickness of thought immediately suggested the best course of action.

Meanwhile, the son of Darius, Xerxes, himself became the head of a large army gathered in Asia Minor. He ferried the soldiers across the strait on a temporary bridge laid on the ships, and moved to Greece from the north. A large train trailed behind the army; the Persians did not like to deny themselves comfort during the campaign, and the king carried his court with him. In front of the royal wagon rode a large chariot drawn by eight horses; it carried the image of a supreme deity. A large fleet was moving along the coast in a roundabout line next to the army, which was supposed to deliver supplies to land; in order to avoid a detour at the dangerous Cape Athos, the Persians had previously dug a canal through the isthmus connecting the mountain range with the mainland.

The priests of the temple at Delphi, who gave advice to the Greeks on behalf of the god Apollo, persuaded everyone to submit to a terrible force. Cities ruled by noble families were waiting for the Persians to join them. Only Athens and Sparta with the Peloponnesians decided to resist.

The Persians were invincible on the Asian plains, but in Greece they met for the second time with the inconveniences of mountain nature: they had to slowly make their way through mountain gorges and paths and take apart every small area protected by mountains, like a fortress wall. In addition, production in meager Greece was small.

Yet the position of those Greeks who decided to defend themselves was very dangerous. A small detachment of Spartans defended the passage of Thermopylae between northern and central Greece for several days against the Persians, but was outflanked and perished. The Persians reached the middle of Greece and devastated the country everywhere. The inhabitants of Attica and Athens had to flee. The families of citizens and what could be seized from the property were transported on ships to the neighboring islet of Salamis and to nearby cities in the south; and all the Athenians, capable of arms and work, boarded ships and connected with other Greek squadrons.

But the Greeks converged from various independent cities; they had neither a general plan how to act, nor even an agreement. I had to give the main bosses to the Spartan leaders, because the Spartans were considered the most powerful Greek people. Meanwhile, the Spartans just did not know the maritime business, and they had almost no ships at all. The Athenians under the command of Themistocles wanted to fight at sea near their own homeland; the Spartans wanted to retreat south to their shores and strengthen the isthmus near the city of Corinth, so as not to let the Persians go further along the dry path.

Against the wishes of the Spartans, the Greeks had to fight involuntarily in a narrow strait near the island of Salamina: the Persian fleet went around the middle of Greece and locked the Greek ships on both sides of this strait. The Greeks took the upper hand with their art in maritime affairs: they put the ships in a circle with their noses forward and then quickly dispersed in rays in all directions: the heavy ships of the Persians got confused near unfamiliar rocks. The bad weather also helped the Greeks, breaking many enemy ships. The remnants of the upset fleet of the Persians drove off to Asia Minor, and the king, dissatisfied with the prolongation of the war, returned home. He was also worried about the dangerous uprising in Babylon. The land army of the Persians still continued to stand in the middle of Greece. Only a year later, in a stubborn battle near the town of Plataea, it was defeated by the Greek militia of the Spartans and Athenians. On the same day, the Greek fleet, pursuing the Persian, defeated them at Cape Mycale against the island of Samos.

Invasion of Xerxes. The Persian invasion of Greece was not long in coming. In the spring of 480, Xerxes, at the head of an army of several hundred thousand1, moved to the Hellespont, where the Persian fleet also appeared, also containing many hundreds of ships. Here, along the bridges built across the strait, the crossing of the royal hordes from Asia to Europe took place. The army moved further along the coast, and the fleet accompanied it and supplied it with supplies as needed. The best way of war for the Greeks was to delay the movement of enemy forces in narrow gorges and narrow straits, where the Persians could not operate with the mass of their troops and all the ships of their fleet at once. Therefore, the first resistance was offered by the Greeks to the Persians at Thermopylae, where the Spartan king Leonidas successfully fought off the onslaught of a huge army. When the Persians, thanks to one traitor, found a mountain path bypassing the Greek position and appeared in the rear of Leonidas, he released the troops of the allied cities and fell on the spot with three hundred Spartans remaining with him. The Persians could now freely enter Central Greece.
The Boeotians obeyed, the population of Attica fled, Athens itself was destroyed by the enemy, and Xerxes was preparing to break through a new defensive line of the Greeks, who decided to fortify themselves on Isthma. The position of the Greeks was, however, precarious. The Persian fleet, in which there were a lot of Phoenician ships with experienced sailors, could always land an army in the rear of the Greeks, and they would be in the same position as at Thermopylae. Therefore, it was also necessary to act against the enemy fleet. Even at the time when the battle of Thermopylae was taking place, the Greek fleet had already given battle to the naval forces of the Persians at Cape Artemisia in the strait between the northern tip of Euboea and Thessaly, but the outcome of this battle was uncertain. Now, after the Persian fleet, having rounded Attica, was already a short distance from Isthma, Themistocles, who was at the head of the Athenian detachment, began to convince other Greek leaders of the need to again give the Persians a naval battle in the narrow strait that separated the island of Solomon from Attica. The comrades did not obey Themistocles, and then, pretending to be a friend of the Persians, he sent Xerxes to tell him to attack the Greeks, who were about to leave. Xerxes succumbed to Themistocles' tricks and ordered his fleet to attack the Greeks, while he himself watched from the shore how the battle was going on, being quite sure of a brilliant victory. The Battle of Salamis was, on the contrary, a complete defeat for the Persians. In a narrow strait, among the rocks and shallows, it was difficult for the Persians to turn around, their ships interfered with each other, and between the Phoenicians and the Greeks of Asia Minor, who constituted the main force of the royal fleet, there could not be much agreement in common actions. After the defeat at Salamin, Xerxes retired to Asia, leaving, however, three hundred thousand troops under the command of Mardonius in Boeotia. In the next (479) year, the Greeks went on the offensive. The land army of the Greeks went to Boeotia under the command of the Spartan commander Pausanias (the guardian of the infant king) and here defeated the Persians and the Thessalians and Boeotians who joined them at Plataea. At the same time, another Spartan king (Leotichid) and the Athenian Xanthippus sailed with a fleet to the shores of Asia Minor and at Cape Mycale (between Samos and Miletus) won a brilliant victory over the Persians. The consequence of this double defeat of the Persians was not only their expulsion from European Greece, but also the liberation of the Greek colonies in Asia Minor from their power.
127. End of the war with the Persians. Persia was not soon able to recover from three costly and unsuccessful conquest campaigns in European Greece. Not daring to undertake any more conquests in Europe, Xerxes thought only of subjugating the Greeks of Asia Minor again, and to this end he prepared for a new war, concentrating large forces on the southern coast of Asia Minor, which remained in his power. Cimon, the son of Miltiades, who at that time was the most prominent statesman in Athens, decided to resume the fight against the Persians and set off with a large fleet to the southern coast of Asia Minor, where in 466 he won a double (sea and land) victory over the Persians at the mouth of the river Eurymedon. In addition, Cimon also made a brilliant campaign against the island of Cyprus in order to take it away from the Persians, while acting in concert with the rebellious Egyptians. (The Athenians even helped their army to the leader of the Egyptian uprising Inar, but it was crushed by the Persians). The end of the Greco-Persian wars is considered to be 449, and at the same time, apparently, a peace (“Kal-liev”) was concluded, according to which the Persian fleet lost the right to appear in Greek waters.
128. Significance of the Greco-Persian wars. The wars with the Persians, filling the history of the first half of the 5th century, were of great importance in the life of the Greek people. The victories over the powerful monarchy of the “great king” inspired the Greeks with a proud consciousness that they were the first people in the world called to freedom and even to rule over the barbarians. This upsurge of national patriotism was accompanied by a brilliant development of spiritual culture, making the 5th century B.C. one of the most important eras in world history. And in fact, the Hellenes defeated the Persians because culturally they were immeasurably higher than the barbarians: the material quantity had to recede before the spiritual quality. Further, before the Persian wars, the leading role in the Greek world belonged to Asiatic Ionia, now the primacy has passed to the European Greeks and among them to the Ionians of Attica. The suppression of the Asia Minor uprising at the beginning of the 5th century. and the ensuing period of wars dealt a blow to the former prosperity of Ionia, and when times of peace came, the former favorable relations of the coastal cities of Asia Minor to its interior regions could no longer be restored. But even among European Greeks there was a great change. At the beginning of the Persian wars, Sparta was the strongest state in Greece, and therefore she initially had hegemony in the struggle against Persia. Since the Persians saw that it was possible to conquer Greece only with the help of the fleet, the war took on a maritime character, and Athens, which at that time itself turned into a maritime state, was to play the main role. In addition, the defeat inflicted by the Greeks on the Persian naval force was, in essence, the defeat of the Phoenicians, who participated with their fleet in the campaigns of the Persian kings. Finally, along with Persian rule, tyranny fell, which enjoyed the patronage of the “great king” and, in turn, maintained a foreign yoke over part of the Greek nation.
129*. The struggle of the Greeks with Carthage. At the same time that the Greeks were fighting the Persians in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, in its western part the Greeks were also fighting very hard against Carthage. The inhabitants of this trading Phoenician colony, which reached at the end of the 7th and beginning of the 6th century. of great importance, they found allies in the person of the Etruscan people who inhabited part of Italy, since both of them equally sought to prevent the Greeks from expanding their colonies. This forced the Western Greeks to unite to fight against Carthage. Sicily became its main theater, where both Phoenician and Greek colonies existed at the same time. When the tyrant Gelon rose in Sicily, the Carthaginians, incited, as they thought, by Persia, decided to attack the Greeks. The war began in 480, i.e. at the same time as the invasion of Xerxes into Hellas, but Gelon repelled the Carthaginian army, which was under the command of Hamilcar, and his victory at Himera received the same significance in this part of the Greek world as the battle of Solomin had for another part of it.