Casting Through Ancient Greece
Casting Through Ancient Greece
Teaser: After Salamis (Patreon Bonus)
This is a teaser of the bonus episode, "After Salamis" found over on Patreon.
As we dissect the aftermath of one of history's pivotal naval battles, unravel the intricate web woven by Xerxes to obscure his intentions and navigate the treacherous waters of retreat. With insights from Herodotus, we illuminate the contrasting influences of Mardonius and Artemisia on the Persian king's next steps, each representing aggression and prudence, respectively. This episode promises to enrich your understanding of how ancient leaders balanced ambition with survival as the Greeks and Persians faced off in a saga that would forever alter the course of history.
With winter on the horizon, the episode explores the logistical challenges confronting the Persian forces left behind and the implications for the Greek city-states plotting their next moves. Examine how the Athenians and Spartans prepared for further conflicts, setting the stage for another chapter in their epic struggle. Our narrative crafts a vivid picture of the geopolitical landscape and military strategies that unfolded in the shadow of Salamis. Join us as we uncover the political and military calculations that would shape the destiny of the ancient world.
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Hello everyone and welcome back here for another bonus episode for those supporting the series here on Patreon. I really appreciate the support and hope you are continuing to gain value out of the series. This bonus episode will be turning to the moves made by the Greeks and the Persians after the Battle of Salamis. The Persians had made it deep into Greek territory after facing the Hellenic League at Thermopylae on land and Artemisium at sea. Both positions would be taken after three days of fighting Thermopylae with the Greeks defeated, and Artemisium with the Greeks withdrawing. This had seen the Persian army filter into central Greece, spreading out in detachments, forcing those cities who had yet submitted to medize. However, the sight of Delphi would resist the advances of the Persians, with the Greeks citing divine intervention playing a role, though this had not deterred Xerxes, who ordered his army forward once reforming in Boeotia. The next target was Athens, the city Xerxes' father Darius had seeked to gain revenge on after their involvement in the Onian revolt. Athens was captured and sacked, with the majority of the population sailing to Salamis for refuge. A pause in the campaign would take place as the Persian fleet made its way around southern Attica to join with the army, while the Greek fleet had also made its way to Salamis, where debates would take place over the next moves. Two camps developed one for sailing for the Peloponnese and establishing a defence at the Corinthian isthmus, this effectively abandoning all Greek lands north of this position. The second camp was for engaging the Persian fleet where they stood at Salamis, in an attempt to eliminate the Persian fleet and try and rescue Athens. It would look as though the Peloponnesians would get their way and sail back to their homeland, though Themistocles would send a message to Xerxes behind the backs of the other Greeks, convincing him. The Greeks were about to scatter and were disunited. This would have the effect of Xerxes ordering, convincing him. The Greeks were about to scatter and were disunited. This would have the effect of Xerxes ordering his fleet to action and trapping the Greeks in place to prevent them slipping away.
Speaker 1:The Battle of Salamis would end up being fought with the Greeks holding the advantage, the Persians coming into the narrow straits, nullifying their numbers and manoeuvrability of their light vessels. Great feats, would be told by Herodotus, occurring on both sides, but it would be the Greeks who would get the upper hand and force the Persians into a rout. The Persians, we are told, would suffer 50% casualties, with their fleet effectively out of action for the campaign. However, in the direct aftermath of the battle, the Greeks were not yet aware of the scale of the victory they had won. This bonus episode, we are going to continue on with what would take place in both camps, but mainly focus on the Persians. In the wake of the battle, the Greeks had decisively won the battle of Salamis, but the Persian army was still in Greek lands and undefeated. We had seen last bonus episode that after the Persian rout from the Straits, the Greeks were unsure if the Persian fleet had been completely defeated, they would regroup on Salamis, collect their damaged ships for repair and prepare for another round of fighting. Given the vast numbers of Persian ships they had engaged and others were probably still outside in the open waters none of the Greeks would have had a clear picture of how badly the Persian fleet had suffered. The Greeks also had the experience of fighting the Persians at Artemisium, where the battle would continue on for three days before the Greek withdrawal. So their initial encounter would suggest to them that the Persian fleet would continue the fight.
Speaker 1:However, back on the mainland, xerxes would learn of the extent of the defeat inflicted on his navy. He would realise that continued naval operations against the Greeks were no longer feasible. Although he still would have a number of ships still serviceable, his fleet had been severely reduced. If he continued the battle at sea, there would be a good chance that his fleet would be completely destroyed, leaving no way to establish contact with his empire via the sea, which would be the quickest way for communications and supplies to travel. How the subsequent events would unfold are not entirely certain, as I don't buy all of Herodotus' explanations, but I will outline what now took place. Then we will look at how Herodotus presents them. Xerxes would order the Persians back to action once again, but it is unclear if this was a genuine attempt to defeat the Greeks or, as we will talk about, a diversion by Xerxes to conceal his true intentions from the Greeks and his own men. As Herodotus describes it.
Speaker 1:We would hear that both the fleet and the army would be employed for action. The construction of a pontoon bridge using merchant vessels would start from the mainland with the intention of bridging the straits so the Persian army could march over to Salamis. A portion of the surviving fleet was also sent out onto the waters to either give the impression to the Greeks that a fresh attack was being prepared or to provide protection for the construction of the bridge. However, this Persian attempt at defeating the Greeks over in Salamis with the army would also fail, with, it seeming, the Persian force would not even be able to cross over to the island. It seems unlikely that the bridge would have even been completed by this stage. The Greek fleet would be out in the waters again and, seeing the Persian activities, they would focus on disrupting the building of the bridge. The Persian fleet being deployed to give the impression of another attack were probably too few in number to provide a viable threat to the Greeks who were now in command of the waters.
Speaker 1:Herodotus, in his account, presents this action as taking place due to Xerxes wanting to create a diversion, as he'd already made up his mind that he himself would be withdrawing from Greece. We are told that he would become extremely worried about the bridges over the Hellespont that connected the land route from his empire west. With the condition his fleet was in, he thought the Greeks would make for the Hellespont and capture the bridges, cutting off the communications and route back into the Persian empire. However, I think it is likely Xerxes did try another attempt to destroy the Greeks, given the size of the forces he had, I don't think he would have decided overnight that the campaign was done and making preparations to leave Greece, though once he had exhausted his options with the land forces, then it seems he looked to hold a council to gain a picture on the situation his forces were in. In reality, if Xerxes held a council, it would be gaining information from all the direct commanders under him. This would be so that he could gain a clear picture of the state of his fleet, the situation the Persian army was in, and the best path forward.
Speaker 1:However, herodotus inserts two main figures we have encountered before, one being Mardonius, who is painted as the ill advisor, while the other, artemisia, is presented as the voice of reason and Xerxes' own thoughts. The account Herodotus presents of the council would first develop with Mardonius putting forward his recommendations in confidence with Xerxes before any official council was held. The tone given to him in the account suggests his advice was coming from a position of self-interest rather than what was best for Xerxes. Mardonius now approached Xerxes with his view of what action should now take place in the Greek theatre. Firstly, he urged the king not to take the defeat of Salamis too hard, with his reasoning being that victory over Greece lay with the army who had yet been defeated. He assured Xerxes that the army was made up of loyal Persian and Median troops who could be relied upon, while the navy was made up of their subjected populations, who, the majority, had tried to revolt from Persian rule at one time or another, so could hardly be relied upon.
Speaker 1:Next was the plan forward. Here Mardonius had two options in mind. Firstly, they continue with their original plan of attacking the Peloponnese at once, or, if Xerxes had his heart set on leaving Greece here, mardonius should be left behind with a picked force to subjugate the rest of Greece and deliver a new region for Xerxes to rule over. With a proposal put forward by Mardonius for Xerxes to consider, the great king now called upon a council with his commanders. This is where Artemisia would re-enter Herodotus' narrative, supposedly after listening to the advice of his other commanders. He would dismiss them and specifically call for Artemisia to attend, due to her providing sound advice previously.
Speaker 1:Once they were alone, xerxes then asked for her opinion on the proposal that Mardonius had come to him with. Artemisia is meant to have agreed that his suggestion of being left with a pick force while Xerxes returned home would be the best course of action for Xerxes personally. Herodotus would have her say, for if he does subjugate this land, as he claims he would like to do, and thus succeeds in this plan, the success will be yours, my lord, since the conquest will be performed by your slaves. On the other hand, if the outcome is the opposite of what mardonius thinks will happen, it will be of no great misfortune, since you will survive, and so will your power in asia. As far as your own house is concerned, and if you and your house survive, the Hellenes will have to run many races for their lives. Besides, if something happens to Mardonius, it is of no great consequence, and even if the Hellenes win, they will not win anything substantial by destroying your slaves. Well, you will march home after you have burned Athens and thus will have achieved the goal of your expedition. Xerxes found this to be excellent advice, not only to how sound and rational it was, but most importantly it mirrored his own exact thoughts on the matter.
Speaker 1:Xerxes' mind was now made up. It was not really known how much influence others had on this decision, though the tales Herodotus presents add some entertainment to proceedings. It would be almost certain that he would have had military advisors helping sketch out the realities and situation, but for narrative purposes that is not as interesting to report on. So perhaps through how Herodotus presents the council taking place, we can get an idea of the main two ideas that were being put forward from Xerxes and his top generals. Herodotus uses Mardonius and Artemisia as mouthpieces to present these to us, following the same themes he has been using with these figures. Obviously he had hindsight to work with when assigning these ideas to both of them.
Speaker 1:However, at the time, xerxes still had to weigh up the risks and advantages of staying and continuing an all-out land effort. No doubt factors such as the state of the fleet, its ability to protect the Persian position and how vulnerable the Persians were from being cut off from their empire via the sea would have all played a role in the decision to come home. It is also very likely that with Xerxes departing, he could still present what had happened in Greece as a victory, since he had captured Athens, the main objective from both the 490 campaign and his own. So the decision would be taken for Mardonius, one of Xerxes' top generals, to remain behind in Greece with a sizable force to retain what had been captured and defeat the Hellenic League force. To retain what had been captured and defeat the Hellenic League.
Speaker 1:Although Xerxes saw the dangers in remaining behind with his full army, he also recognised that to defeat the Greeks, all that needed to be done was break the unity of the Hellenic League. Many Greek cities had already submitted to Persia, and the League only had 31 members, though, granted, these were some of the biggest and most powerful of the Greek city-states. If the Persians were to succeed, they would be relying solely on their land forces, as there would be no fleet to support them. Another factor that had to be considered was that the cooler months were approaching and supplying the army would be more difficult. This had been made even worse now that the fleet would be sailing home would be sailing home. This is why, it seems, mardonius was tasked with selecting a picked force, since it was not feasible for the majority of the forces to remain in Greece, given the supply problems.
Speaker 1:For the task of destroying the Hellenic League, we would be told that Mardonius had selected a force that would see him command 300,000 troops. This is the figure that Herodotus gives us, but we can see this would certainly be inflated, though if we do take Herodotus at his word, this would be but a fraction of the over 1 million troops Xerxes had entered Greek lands with. However, we have covered previously the estimates modern historians have given for these forces that were involved during the Second Persian Invasion. Even if we take this higher estimate of 250,000, this still sees Mardonius' reduced force outnumbering the total army. But once again, we can turn to the estimates of modern historians when looking at the Battle of Plataea that would take place the next year. The estimates of modern historians when looking at the Battle of Plataea that would take place the next year, most put the Persian forces at around 100,000, so less than half of what had originally marched into Greek lands.
Speaker 1:As we will see also, when winter did come on, mardonius would even find it difficult to keep his army fed. He would need to withdraw out of Attica, presumably, where the Persians had raised much of the countryside and therefore the crops. They would instead fall back into Boeotia, where they had friendlier relations and would have an easier time keeping the army in operational condition through the winter. Now, with Xerxes having made his decision to leave Greece and placing Mardonius in command of the army, we would hear of Xerxes' departure. It's worth noting Herodotus reports, this is taking place the day after the Battle of Salamis, but given the events we have gone through and how these likely unfolded, it would seem at least a few days had passed.
Speaker 1:Xerxes now ordered for the fleet to prepare to sail out of Pharaon at nightfall so as not to alert the Greeks to their retreat, allowing them to withdraw unhindered. At dawn of the next day, the Greeks had prepared themselves to renew the fight in the Straits. The impression Herodotus gives us was that this was the day after the Battle of Salamis. However, it seems likely that the Persian fleet would have been sent out on the water to give the impression the fleet was still intact. This would have occurred each day, and no doubt the Greeks would have deployed their fleet in the Straits also.
Speaker 1:However, this time around the Persians had no intention of entering these narrow waters. Across on the mainland, they could still see the Persian army in place. Nerves would have once again been tested as they prepared for another engagement, though at some stage, as they prepared to man their ships, word had arrived informing the Greeks that, although the Persian army still occupied Attica, the fleet had pulled out of Farallon and was making its way back across the Aegean. With this news, the commanders, instead of preparing their triremes to sail out into battle formation, they now prepared them to give chase outside of the straits in an attempt to catch up with a retreating enemy. Many men would have been relieved at the news, seeing another battle was not going to take place just yet, while Themistocles and the other commanders would have been frustrated. They would have wanted a chance to completely destroy the Persian fleet with this, seeing the Greeks have complete control of the waters, the Greeks now gave chase, attempting to catch up with the Persian fleet. They had got as far as the island of Andros, just south of Euboea, but were unable to locate the fleeing Persian fleet. Orders now went out for all the contingents to put ashore, where the commanders could discuss how to proceed forward.
Speaker 1:During the Council of Andros, themistocles put forward a plan to continue through the islands and make their way to the Hellespont, where they should then set about destroying the bridges Xerxes had constructed months earlier. Beginning the campaign, eurybiades spoke up and put forward an argument against Themistocles' proposal. He thought cutting off the Persian path of retreat back home would be a calamity for Greece. He argued that if the Persians were cut off in Greece, there would be home would be a calamity for Greece. He argued that if the Persians were cut off in Greece, there would be only one option open to Xerxes he would have no choice but to keep his army active, capturing and conquering all he could, no matter the cost. This would be the only way he could keep his army supplied and fed. Basically, eurybiades thought if they blocked Xerxes into a corner, he would act in a reckless manner that could turn out to be disastrous for the Greeks and the rest of Europe, with no other option open to him. By leaving the bridge intact, eurybiades argued Xerxes could retreat unhindered, taking a large number of forces out of Greece and where the Greeks could then transfer the war into Asia, away from Greek lands.
Speaker 1:So, as we can see from our episode today, the result of the Battle of Salamis had seen Xerxes come to the conclusion that maintaining the current operations in Greece with his army and navy had become untenable. He would look to explore other avenues of defeating the Greeks through the use of his army in the direct aftermath of the battle, but this would prove fruitless now that the Greeks held command over the waters around Salamis. This would see him arrange a council of war to explore the options now open to him. In maintaining pressure on the Greeks, herodotus would present the proposals through two key figures that feature throughout the second Persian invasion in his narrative, though it seems Xerxes' top generals would have had a larger role in what was discussed than we are given. In the end, xerxes was satisfied that he had completed his objective in Greece by capturing Athens. Most certainly, he would have liked to have destroyed the Hellenic League and see Greek lands open for his empire to expand into.
Speaker 1:However, this possibility was now seen as less certain. Xerxes, by leaving, could still claim a victory that he was attached to. However, if setbacks were to now occur, he could distance himself personally from them so not to harm his reputation. Herodotus had Artemisia point this out in a speech he puts in her mouth. Basically, if Mardonius succeeds, xerxes can claim this as his victory, as it was completed by his slaves. On the other hand, if the outcome is defeat, xerxes will survive and so will his power in the empire.
Speaker 1:With the Persian fleet now sailing home and winter approaching, we will now be turning to how the Greeks and the Persians that were left in Greek lands will prepare for a continued effort in the next year when it comes to the Greeks, especially the interactions between the Athenians and Spartans, will be a picture that is hard to get a complete grasp of, but we will see if we can draw out the most plausible explanation for what was taking place. Thank you all for the continued support here on Patreon and I'm glad you have found some value in what the series has been offering. I will see you all again for another bonus episode in the first week of December.