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Relations Between Greek States and Non-Greek States, 492–404 BC

Persian aims and the preparations of both sides in the 480s BC

  • 2 things to know
  • Component Group 1

Overview

Recall questions on why the invasion was delayed after Marathon, Xerxes' aims and the advice of Mardonius and Artabanus, the Athos canal and Hellespont bridges, doubts over Herodotus' numbers, the Laurium silver and Themistocles' fleet, ostracism, the wooden wall oracle, and the royal inscriptions of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rustam and Xerxes at Persepolis.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Evaluation

According to Herodotus, what arguments were put to Xerxes about invading Greece?

Key term

Explain why the conquest of Greece was a matter of prestige for a Persian king.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why was the Persian attack on Greece not renewed immediately after Marathon?

    Model answer

    A revolt in Egypt and then the death of Darius in 486 BC forced the new king Xerxes to secure his own empire first.

  2. 2

    State what Xerxes had to deal with before he could turn to Greece.

    Model answer

    He had to crush the Egyptian revolt he inherited and hold down unrest in Babylon and the interior of the empire.

  3. 3

    According to Herodotus, what arguments were put to Xerxes about invading Greece?

    Model answer

    Mardonius pressed for conquest and revenge while Artabanus warned of the dangers of crossing into Europe, and Xerxes decided for war.

  4. 4

    What did Xerxes intend to achieve by invading Greece?

    Model answer

    He meant to punish Athens for Sardis and Marathon and to annex the Greek mainland, pushing Persian rule to the western edge of the known world.

  5. 5

    Explain why the conquest of Greece was a matter of prestige for a Persian king.

    Model answer

    A king was expected to add territory to the empire, and the defeat at Marathon was an unavenged insult to his father's authority.

  6. 6

    What engineering work did Xerxes order at the Athos peninsula, and why?

    Model answer

    A canal was cut through the neck of the peninsula so that the fleet could avoid the headland where Mardonius' ships had been wrecked.

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