Simonides ephorus and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae book

Warfare battle of thermopylae battle of thermopylae. Thoughts on book seven of the histories of herodotus. I asked that question myself until i read the book. The battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories. The edsitement launchpad includes links to maps and images of the soldiers and the terrain on which the battle was fought. Theres an alternate version of what happened at the. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. Sources battle of thermopylae 480 bc stories preschool.

This place is called thermopylae by most of the hellenes, but by the natives and. However, what a surprising number of people fail to realise is that, that movie and indeed most every other story about the battle is just the best guess of what happened that day. The battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories essay 1146 words 5 pages western civilization february 8, 2009 the battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories the battle of thermopylae, which herodotus recorded in his writing the histories, was one of the most arduous and notable battles of western history. The main source for the battle of 480 is herodotus, histories, 7. At thermopylae, by simonides of ceos aesthetic realism. King xerxes lay encamped in trachis in malis and the hellenes in the pass. When hope published his poem, he included simonides s words in an epigraph. Ramsey parra llrn 151 01 300 scholars, artists, authors, and filmmakers in recent years have been interested in herodotus s depiction of the battle of thermopylae, creating several different versions and interpretations of the story across multiple forms of media. On the battle of thermopylae itself, two principal sources, herodotus and simonides accounts, survive. The famous epitaphs that simonides of ceos wrote for the greek soldiers who died in the persian wars naturally attracted imitators.

What this book does is that it goes deeper into the events and cultural factors that built up to thermopylae and the role of that battle in the wider struggle. According to this source, the battle of marathon is one of the most important battles in the history of acient greece, it was when the persian army fought the greeks in marathon. I felt that free verse, casual and falling carefully, might do. Simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae, michael a. Simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae. Xerxess army was already on european soil but their greek opponents were still to determine where and how they should fight them. Thus did the poet simonides remember the three hundred elite spartan warriors, who, led by their king, leonidas, faced. Here we get the most bodacious recount of the battle of thermopylae. Named polymnia after the greek muse of sacred poetry. Hide browse bar your current position in the text is marked in blue. By and large, the battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories was an extremely notable and remarkable battle for the history of the west, as well as the world.

Herodotus excerpts from book vii of the histories translated and edited by a. This website is dedicated to king leonidas, the 300 spartans, 700 thespians and other greek warriors who fought to the death during the battle of thermopylae hot gates in august, 480 b. This source shows some examples of bias towards greece, so this leads to some questions of validity. Simonides on leonidas in his article simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae the classical quarterly, new series, vol. Herodotus was dubbed by cicero in the first century bce the father of history. In his article simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae, flower analyzes the greek sources referenced on the battle of thermopylae, such as ephorus, diodorus, simonides. The main event of book seven, of course, is the battle of thermopylae, during which an elite force of 300 spartans, accompanied by thespians fighting voluntarily and thebans fighting involuntarily, hold off the mighty persian army at a narrow coastal pass just south of thessaly on the greek mainland. A commentary of similar quality on book 7, the thermopylae book, would be well received. Simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae in adapting the story of the great war to the taste of his own age ephoros, himself a pupil of isokrates and a professional historian, was led astray by the combined influences of rhetoric and rationalism.

The spartan and thespian last stand has been immortalized in the works of herodotus and glorified in the 1962 movie the 300 spartans starring richard egan, along with many other mediums consisting of. Herodotus s depiction of the battle of thermopylae 1278 words 6 pages. Written in 440 bc in the ionic dialect of classical greek, the histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography. A military historian, bradford makes sense of the complicated maneuvers and does a very thorough background on all components of the battle, from the three rows of trireme rowers to an analysis of the less than. Flower quotes an excerpt of an apparently longer poem written by simonides about the battle of thermopylae. This source was important to my project because it helped explain why this battle was so important, because a little amount of greeks killed a lot of persian men and held the persian attack for days. For they were the first of all hellenes we know of to use the running charge against their enemies, as well as the first to endure the sight of medes clothing and the men wearing it. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. This activity presents the longest and most challenging reading assignment from herodotus. Herodotus concludes his account of the battle of thermopylae with a story of demaratus, former lacedaemonian king exiled to persia turned advisor to xerxes, and the secret message he delivered to spartainciting the meeting that led the greeks to thermopylae in the first place. The two lines of simonides of ceos, translated here, have been translated often. This 147page guide for histories by herodotus includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 9 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis.

Simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of. The british title for this book, the year of thermopylae london, 1980, is much more descriptive since the book covers events leading up to and including thermopylae. There are also links to commentary on the battle of thermopylae. The battle of thermopylae was the initial engagement between the persian empire and the confederation of greek citystates led by sparta during. So you may wonder if there is any point in buying this book. Yet it was none the less glorious or culturally significant for. It is an ill wind, proverbially, that blows nobody any. Simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae volume 48 issue 2 michael a. On the battle of thermopylae itself, two principal sources, herodotus and simonides, survive. The delphi oracle which in hindsight has been accused by some historians of being in persian pay advised all and sundry. Flower skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. In their excellent recent scholarly commentary on herodotus book 9 flower and marincola eds 2002 deal fully with his account of plataea, which sealed the greeks victory over the invading persians.

Or even to ascertain who was willing to fight them. Flory, stewart, thucydides hypotheses about the peloponnesian war, transactions of the american philological association vol. Its almost certain that everyone reading this learned everything they known about the battle of thermopylae from the movie, 300 and thats okay, that movie was rad. The battle of thermopylae the histories of herodotus. But the core of this collection contains some remarkable poems of. View battle of thermopylae research papers on academia. Herodotus and the dating of the battle of thermopylae. Above the graveyard is an epitaph in french, which a corporal explains, i think it refers to the battle of thermopylae where 300 spartans died trying to. Herodotus account of the battle, in book vii of his histories, is such an important source that paul cartledge writes that we either write a history of thermopylae with herodotus, or not at all.