Importance of navy for Persians? (1 Viewer)

[ebsha]

Ok, so i have an assessment for Greece 500-440 (persian wars)

Q is Assess the significance of naval power in the conflicts between Greeks and Persians in this period.

So, greeks is obvious, ive got lots to write on that. Persians, is it just that they needed a navy to simply get to greece? Persian strength was in their cavalry, so the significance of naval strenght was that they needed enough triremes to get their cavalry to greece? yeah?

any more ideas, please let me know. thanx!

 

[Magister]

Re Persian Navy

The Persians used the navies of subject states in Ionia and the Aegean islands which were under their control. Many of these were Greek colonies who had considerable fleets (both military and mercantile) which also possessed expertise in naval tactics. The Persians were able to co-opt large numbers of ships and vastly outnumbered the loyalist Greek fleets at Artemisium and Salamis. Herodotus is a good primary source to examine (though he does exaggerate the figures and is pro-Greek). An interesting story is about Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus and her leadership of her fleet on the Persian side.

Hope this leads you into some useful ideas about this topic. good luck,

Magister

 

[ancient_nut]

You might want to rethink the question. How important were the ships? It doesn't say who for. Although you could use the approach you are, you could also do a battle-by-battle breakdown of how necessary the ships were, as well as looking at the way it affected Greek/ Persian morale.

The Persian infantry/ cavalry arrived in Greece by foot (after Marathon). They needed the ships for naval battles and supplies, although other expeditions of the Persians (e.g. in Xenophon's Anabasis) show that they didn't always need to bring supplies- they just pillaged when they went through.

Look at the oracle (the wooden walls) and the way that Herodotus deals with it. What does this show you about the way in which the ships become symbolic for the victory in his time? (for pro-Athenians anyway) Consider the historiography briefly as well: often forgotten, important for band 6. How does the image of Athens in Herodotus' time change the way in which he might report things?

Building on what Magister said, look at the way in which the Ionians fighting for Persia went back to the Greeks at Salamis (Herodotus)

 

[grk_styl]

The above is really good!

You should consider whether the Persian army was important. Also, remember to make note that, because all navy and army were pooled from all different subject states, there was a lot of disjointment. They were not fighting for their pride, rather they were fighting because they were forced to. (The Greeks were fighting for their land and their pride).

Perhaps you can also compare and contrast the two naval powers and hence why it was a Greek victory.