Miltiades
-Greek hero who commanded the Greek troops at Marathon in 490 BC as a strategos
-Served as a tyrant in the Chersonese
-523 BC Darius and his army marched though Thrace into Scythia. Miltiades argued that they should support the Sythians against the Persians and help to free Ionia. Other tyrants disagreed.
-Brilliant knowledge of Persian ways and military tactics
-Convinced polemarch Callimachus to fight at Marathon rather than wait for them to attack
-Used fame from Marathon to persuade Assembly to give him leadership of an expedition against Paros, who had helped the Persians. Wanted to punish them to make an example for the other Greek states
-Besieged Paros, but failed, returned to Athens and put on trial for criminal misconduct during the war
-Was fined 50 talents, and died soon afterwards
Themistocles
-Great Athenian statesman born 524 BC
-Visualised Athens as a sea power
-Elected archon in 493 BC and served at Marathon
-Wanted to fortify Piraeus and make it into a defensive harbour
“Themistocles also persuaded them to complete the walls of Piraeus, which had been begun previously during his year of office…He considered that if the Athenians became a sea-faring people they would have every advantage in adding to their power” - Thucydides
-Proposed silver from mines at Laurium be used to create a fleet of triremes for the war against Aegina rather than be distributed amongst the citizens. These ships were used at Salamis.
“The fact remains that the Greeks were saved at that time by their prowess at sea, and that it was these very triremes, which won back the city of Athens after it had fallen” – Plutarch
-Themistocles’ role was imperative to the development of Greek naval power, and it is this power at sea which was required to repel the Persian invasion, since the Persian strategy was to have the army be accompanied by the fleet.
-When the Greeks sent 10 000 hoplites to Thessaly to defend against the Persian advance, Themistocles commanded the Athenian contingent
-480 BC Became unofficial leader of Greek forces and fought at Artemisium
-Themistocles wanted to fight in the narrow waters between Attica and Salamis. This gave the Greeks a tactical advantage as the Persian ships are slow and heavy in narrow waters, whereas the Greek triremes were fast and manoeuvrable. Salamis turning point of Persian Wars
“Themistocles was the architect of the defeat of the Persians: by choosing the scene of the battle, where the smaller and fewer Greek ships had the advantage, he made victory over the Persians possible” – T. Buckley
-472 BC Themistocles’ political enemies joined together and had him ostracised
-Lived in Argos, accused of intrigues with Persia, fled to Persia, became satrap and died in 460 BC.
Ephialtes
-Radical democrat who saw Sparta as a rival and possible threat
-Opposed Cimon with his conservative policies and cooperation with Sparta
-Prosecuted members of Areopagus for corruption
-462-1 BC Proposed legislation to take power away from the Areopagus and transfer them to the law courts, the Assembly and the Council
-Cimon protested against this and was ostracised
-Assassinated shortly after
Cimon
-Leader of the conservative pro-Spartan party in Athens
-Son of Marathon hero Miltiades
-An aristocrat who was impoverished by huge fines levied by the courts of Miltiades
-Fought at Salamis with considerable distinction
-Repeated elected at strategos
-466 BC won the land and sea battle against the Persians at Eurymedon Rover. Captured or destroyed 200 Phoenician triremes – His greatest victory
-Captured the pirate base on Scyros
-Drove the Persians out of the Chersonese
-462 BC Led Athenian troops to aid Sparta in their helot revolt, Sparta sent them home. He was later ostracised for his involvement in this disgrace (461 BC)
-Admiration of Sparta led to his downfall
-Returned to Athens, led another attack on Persia. Died at the siege of Citium 451 BC
Aristides
-Leading politician in Athens, contemporary of Themistocles
-Epitome of the honourable politician given nickname ‘the Just’
-Archon 489-488 BC, fought well at Marathon
-Athenian commander at the battle of Plataea in 474 BC
-Remembered for his role in assessing the amount of tribute to be paid by each member of the Delian League
Hope they help, they are from my notes, email me if you want the rest
