Athens Burning: The Persian Invasion of Greece and the Evacuation of Attica

197 Pages·2017·2.63 MB·English

by  Robert Garland

ATHENS BURNING
WITNESS TO ANCIENT HISTORY
GREGORY S. ALDRETE, Series Editor
ALSO IN THE SERIES
Jerry Toner, The Day Commodus Killed a Rhino: Understanding the Roman
Games
Debra Hamel, The Battle of Arginusae: Victory at Sea and Its Tragic Aftermath
in the Final Years of the Peloponnesian War
ATHENS BURNING
The Persian Invasion of Greece and the
Evacuation of Attica
Robert Garland
COLGATE UNIVERSITY
Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore
© 2017 Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2017
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363
www.press.jhu.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Garland, Robert, 1947–, author.
Title: Athens Burning : the Persian invasion of Greece and the evacuation of Attica / Robert
Garland.
Description: Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017. | Series: Witness to ancient
history | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016022026| ISBN 9781421421957 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN
142142195X (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781421421964 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN
1421421968 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781421421971 (electronic) | ISBN 1421421976
(electronic) Subjects: LCSH: Athens (Greece)—History—Siege, 480 B.C. | Greece—History
—Persian Wars, 500-449 B.C.—Social aspects. | Civilians in war—Greece—Athens—History
—To 1500. | Greece—History—Persian Wars, 500-449 B.C.—Campaigns.
Classification: LCC DF225.55 .G37 2017 | DDC 938/.03—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016022026
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more information, please
contact Special Sales at 410-516-6936 or [email protected].
Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including recycled
text paper that is composed of at least 30 percent post-consumer waste, whenever possible.
For Richard and Danielle with love
Une même vague par le monde, une même vague depuis Troie roule sa hanche
jusqu’à nous.
Saint-John Perse
•
I hope they will not forget the poor devils that died here.
Sapper Harry Billinge on the seventy-year commemoration of D-Day (June 6,
2014)
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
Timeline
Prologue
I
The Origins
II
The Evacuation
III
The First Burning
IV
The Second Burning
V
The Postwar Period
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
A Note on Sources
Notes
Suggested Further Reading
Index
ILLUSTRATIONS
FIGURES
The Themistoclean Wall
The view from Delphi looking south toward the Peloponnese
Aerial view of the Acropolis
The Areopagus
Debris from the Persian destruction on the Acropolis
Apollo presiding over battle between Lapiths and centaurs, west pediment at
Olympia
Silver tetradrachma from Athens, second half of fifth century
The Acropolis under Nazi occupation, April 1941
MAPS
The Persian Empire
Attica and Environs
The Ionian Revolt
The Royal Road
Greece and the Aegean
Salamis and the Straits
TIMELINE
490
Winter Following the Persian defeat at Marathon, Darius I gives orders to
make preparations for another expedition.
486
September/October The accession of Xerxes I follows the death of Darius I.
484
By the end of the Xerxes crushes revolts in Egypt and Babylon.
year
483
Summer On Themistocles’ recommendation, the Athenians devote the
silver accruing from their silver mines at Laurium to building a
fleet of two hundred triremes. Xerxes begins preparations for an
invasion of Greece; his engineers start digging a canal though the
neck of the peninsula at Mount Athos.

481
April/May Xerxes sets out from Susa.
September/October Xerxes arrives in Sardis. He sends envoys to Greece demanding
submission. At least thirty-one Greek states meet at Sparta and
form an alliance to resist the Persians. The Athenians consult the
Delphic Oracle. They vote to abandon Attica and resist the
Persians at sea.
October/November The Athenians pass the Decree of Themistocles and begin an
or later orderly evacuation.
480
April Xerxes marches from Sardis with his army.