Ancient Greece
Peer Responses
Please respond to four (4) separate post, respond as if you are talking to the writer. Use their name in the beginning of the post. Responses need to be 80-100 words in length. Be sure to engage in a peer response after reading the post. Be sure to answer any question the post may ask.
Give some compliments about the post and what you like about it and some discussion about what is being talked about. Please respond to the person writing the post. Thank you. Responses are on attachment.
Peer Response #1
Week 4 Question 1
DAVID AINSWORTH(Feb 26, 2019 12:55 AM)- Read by: 2
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The Greeks entered in to unity with other state or country by presenting gifts of earth and water. They entered into unity with the notion of equality of partnership. This was definitely a different way of thought than the Persians were used too.
The Persians thought was that the king had complete power over all and he is placed above all other countries and kings and kingdoms. For the Persians there was no partnership. Even as the Athenians were offering gifts of earth and water to the King of Persia Darius 1, the Athenians were considered to be insinuate. To the Persians the gifts meant that the Athenians were pledging there undying loyalty to Darius and Persia. Kings of Persia were considered gods and the king was held higher than any other in Persia and by this Darius would never consider himself as equal to any man. He definitely would never engage into any alliance of a full partnership. The Athenians needed protection from the Spartans and that was the reason for there proposed alliance with the Persians. Take into consideration that the king of Persia was considered a god and a god would never be lowered or equal to the level of any man. When the Athenians found out that the Persians didn’t believe the same as they did and considered themselves higher than them, they did not send word to the Persians to inform that they would not be pledging loyalty to them. King Darius was upset, especially after hearing that the Athenians aided the Ionian revolt. King Darius thought that the Athenians were loyal to him at this point.
The Greek civilization was large and have expanded to a degree but the Greeks were still separated into city-states. The Greeks Still engaged in conflict within and the fact that the Athenians need protection from Persia against the Spartans proved that. Not all of Greece even had the same form of government and freedoms and lacked trust between the governments. The Persians followed their god king and they were unified as well as considerably larger than the Greek army. That being said, coming together was a difficult feat for the Greeks but when they assembled they proved to be legionary on the battlefield on land and sea making the war a war of the ages. Legendary tell of the underdogs raising to the challenge. It was defiantly a “clash of civilizations”.
Martin, Thomas R.. Ancient Greece Chapter 6: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times, Yale University Press, 1999. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=3420399.
Peer Response #2
Wk 4 The Persian Wars Question #2
Krystle Barton(Feb 26, 2019 12:35 PM)- Read by: 1
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Hello Everyone. For this week’s forum post over the Persian Wars, I chose the second topic of questions.
“How do Greeks come together to face the Persians?” According to Martin (xxx), there were “thirty-one Greek states, however, most of them located in southern Greece, formed a military coalition to fight the Persian invasion, and they chose Sparta as leader because it fielded Greece’s most formidable hoplite army” (Martin, 1999, p.103).
“What evidence is there that this alliance will be short-lived?” The Greek infantry was led by the Spartans with Greek victory at Salamis in 480 B.C. and then again under the royal command of Pausanias in 479 B.C. It wasn’t too shortly after that the Athenians persuaded the other Greeks to request for their Athenian leadership in 477 B.C. This is proof that the Greek alliance with Spartan leadership in the time of the Persian Wars was short-lived. “The Greek alliance against Persia now took on a permanent organizational structure under Athenian leadership” (Martin, 1999, p.106). This was a good strategic change to the military command since the Spartan men did not know how to control their power when they’re away from home turning to enraged egotistical and violent behavior towards to their Greek allies and citizens. Besides, Sparta’s military forces are primarily established for protection at their home to guard against insurgencies/revolts.
“Where do we still see the Greeks squabbling amongst themselves?” “Why do they do this?” In addition to the Persian kings’ continuous efforts to try and conquer the Greeks, there was still unresolved turmoil of revolts when the Spartans were at their weakest. An example of this was when a tremendous earthquake near Sparta in 465 B.C. killed a large number of Spartans that the helots of Messenia (the Greeks up in the western Peloponnese) revolted against their weakened Spartan masters (Martin, 1999, p.109).
-Krys
Reference
Martin, Thomas R.. 1999. Ancient Greece : From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven: Yale University Press. Accessed February 26, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Peer Response #3
The Political Advantage of Athens
Jeremy Frick(Feb 27, 2019 8:21 PM)- Read by: 2
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Describe the political state of Greece at the end of the Persian Wars. Who holds the advantage, Athens or Sparta? Which polis is better equipped to lead Greece? Why?
During the Persian War, a large coalition of Greek city-states banded together in a collective effort to stave off the Persian invasion. By the end of the war, they had successfully fought off the largest empire in the world and done so convincingly. Greece was in a relatively secure position. However, the security of the coalition was not to last. Having defeated the mighty Persian navy at Salamis and Mycale, Greek city-state of Athens was in a uniquely superior position in relation to all other city-states, especially Sparta. Athens had spearheaded the effort to create the Delian League, a coalition of Greek city-states that’s sole purpose was to fight off the Persian invasion, and one in which Sparta was not a part of. Now, with Athens having essentially the only navy, financed by their own solver mines, as well as the Ionian Treasury, they had a tremendous amount of power when it came to the decision making of the League.
Meanwhile, the Spartan had spent a lot of their time building a wall across the isthmus that connected the Peloponnese peninsula to Greece (Martin, 140). They were weary of both a Persian advance, and the growing power of Athens. Ever since the massive earthquake and subsequent helot rebellion in 464 BCE Sparta’s might had been waning. Efforts by Athens to help quell the rebellion came across as unwelcomed charity and created a situation in which neither Sparta nor Athens ever fully trusted one another.
In summary, by the end of the war, Athens was the de facto leader of the Delian League, had an extensive Navy, and held a tremendous amount of wealth. Sparta, on the other hand, had their warrior mentality, a city-state which had never fully recovered from a recent natural disaster, as well as on-going problems with helot rebellions. Clearly, Athens had the advantage and was much better equipped to lead Greece.
References
Martin, Thomas R. 2013. Ancient Greece. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.
Peer Response #4
week 4, question 3
Letitia Garcia(Feb 28, 2019 4:50 PM)- Read by: 1
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3) Who is the real hero of the Persian Wars: Leonidas or Themistocles?
Honestly, Leonidas came to my mind first. “The Spartans showed their courage this same year when three hundred of their men led by Leonidas, along with a number of other Greeks, held off Xerexes’ huge army for several days at the narrow pass called Thermopylae (“warm gates”0 on the eastern coast of central Greece. Xerxes was flabbergasted that this paltry force did not immediately retreat when confronted with his magnificent army. The Spartan troops characteristically refused to be intimidated”, (Martin).
Leonidas and ‘his’ Spartans were amazing! These men had remarkable strength, even though they weren’t high in manpower. They were devoted to their military, at all costs.
In my opinion, they were the real heroes. “the ‘Three Hundred’ had failed to stop the Persians, but they had demonstrated that they would die before surrendering”, (Martin). I think they were more honorable because of this. Xerxes might have had more manpower, a huge army, but it is this historical event that catapulted Leonidas and his army as military myths and legendary. People would tell their story from there on out, for centuries to come, even until this day (although in our time it is more hyped up, especially the movie lol).
Works Cited
Martin, Thomas R.. 1999. Ancient Greece : From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven: Yale University Press. Accessed February 28, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
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