How does Herodotus portray Artemisia?
In 480 Artemisia led a small squadron of eastern Greek ships in Xerxes' invasion force against the Greek mainland states. Herodotus presents her as a remarkable woman and the shrewdest of Xerxes' commanders.
Did Herodotus write about Artemisia?
In order to understand their disappointment, it is necessary to establish Herodotus (c. 484-425 BC) and his work, The Histories, as the basis for most of what we know of Artemisia today. Among surviving ancient works, he was the first to mention her, providing the most detail.
What advice does Artemisia give King Xerxes?
What advice did Artemisia give Xerxes for fighting the Greeks? She advised him not to attack: leave it at a stand-off, and the Greeks would either starve through the autumn and winter, or else disperse.
What did Herodotus think?
Herodotus believes in divine retribution as a punishment of human impiety, arrogance, and cruelty, but his emphasis is always on human actions and character rather than on the interventions of the gods, in his descriptions of historical events.
Is the story of Artemisia true?
Artemisia was real enough, we learn from Herodotus, her contemporary and historian of the Greco-Persian Wars. She was indeed a Greek queen, who did fight for the Persians at Salamis. But far from being admiral-in-chief of the Persian navy, she contributed a mere handful of warships out of the total of 600 or so.
What is the story of Artemisia?
Artemisia ruled during the overlordship of the Persian king Xerxes (reigned 486–465) and participated in Xerxes' invasion of Greece (480–479). Despite her able command of five ships in the major naval battle with the Greeks off the island of Salamis near Athens, the Persian fleet suffered a severe defeat.
What happened to Artemisia after her involvement in the Persian wars?
Xerxes accepted Artemisia's advice this time and withdrew from Greece, leaving Mardonius to fight the rest of the campaign for him. Artemisia was given charge of escorting Xerxes' illegitimate children to safety in Ephesos and, as previously noted, then vanishes from the historical record.
Who betrayed Sparta?
EphialtesIn the 1962 film The 300 Spartans, Ephialtes was portrayed by Kieron Moore and is depicted as a loner who worked on a goat farm near Thermopylae. He betrays the Spartans to the Persians out of greed for riches, and, it is implied, unrequited love for a Spartan girl named Ellas.
Where is Artemisia in Greece?
Artemisia (Greek: Αρτεμισία) is a former municipality on the island of Zakynthos, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zakynthos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is on the central west coast of the island.
What did Herodotus think of Egyptians?
Although Herodotus did describe them as different than Greeks, he presented them as a highly esteemed people. Though Herodotus repeatedly said that the Egyptians were peculiar and different, he did not do it in an ethnocentric fashion. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's race is superior to all others.
What does Herodotus say about Xerxes?
Verily King Xerxes will cross thee, whether thou wilt or no. Well dost thou deserve that no man should honour thee with sacrifice; for thou art of a truth a treacherous and unsavoury river." While the sea was thus punished by his orders, he likewise commanded that the overseers of the work should lose their heads.
What did Herodotus write about?
Regarded as the first true historian, Herodotus' Histories are the first great prose work in European literature. His main theme was the struggle of Greece against the mighty Persian Empire in the Persian Wars, but he also provides an insight into the contemporary Mediterranean world.
What did Xerxes seek advice from?
As the Greeks awaited a Persian attack off the coast of Salamis, Xerxes sought advice from all of his commanders on how to proceed. Every commander except Artemisia recommended fighting the Greeks. After her experience at the Battle of Artemisium during the same campaign, she alone believed the Greeks were superior at sea and there was nothing for Xerxes to gain by risking his fleet in another battle. The Persian fleet consisted of multiple nationalities including Egyptians, Cypriots, Cilicians, and Pamphylians, which she believed were “worse than useless!” She also pointed out that Xerxes had already captured Athens, his originally stated goal for the invasion. Instead of fighting at Salamis, the Persians could hold their newly acquired territory in Greece and wait as the remaining allied city-states turned on each other. Artemisia believed Xerxes needed time, not another battle, to complete his conquest. Upon hearing this, her allies cringed and her enemies were delighted, as everyone believed the king would react harshly. Instead, “he was hugely impressed by Artemisia’s take on things, and lavished her with more praise than ever—though she had already stood high in his estimation before” (8.68-69).
Who did Xerxes confront?
Xerxes still decided to confront the Greeks at Salamis and in the heat of this battle is where Artemisia appeared again in Herodotus’s narrative. When it became apparent that her ship was in the range of a charging Athenian ship, Artemisia ordered her own ship to ram and sink an ally, killing everyone. Artemisia escaped the battle and Xerxes witnessed the crushing blow she delivered. However, he could not see that the victim was one of his own. Instead, he believed Artemisia had sunk an enemy ship, making the statement, “My men have become women, and my women men” (8.87-88).
Who was Artemisia I?
Artemisia I was a Greek queen of the 5th century BCE, who ruled over the city-state of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor (today Turkey). When the Persian king Xerxes invaded Greece around 480 BCE, Artemisia sided with the Persians and fought against the other Greek cities.
What is the lecture about Herodotus?
This lecture begins with Herodotus' special place in history. It then looks at the miracle at Marathon and seeks to explain how it happened by comparing phalanx warfare to Persian warfare. Following that, we'll run through a brief summary of the rest of the war, with special attention drawn to Greek triremes.
Why did Herodotus invite Artemisia to a meeting?
Herodotus writes, “He convened a meeting of Persians and, while he was listening to their advice, it occurred to him to invite Artemisia along too, to see what she would suggest, because of the earlier occasion on which she had turned out to be the only one with a realistic plan of action.
Why did Photius draw Artemisia?
It is possible that Photius, writing much later, chose to draw on the figure of Artemisia to illustrate a similar lesson. While there is nothing in the record to corroborate Photius' version of her death, there is also nothing which contradicts it save the character of the woman as depicted in the ancient histories.
Why did Artemisia's words to Mardonius upset her friends?
These words of Artemisia's to Mardonius upset her friends, who assumed that the king would punish her for trying to stop him committing himself to a sea battle, while those who envied and resented her prominence within the alliance were pleased with her reply because they thought she would be put to death.
What caused Artemisia to rise higher in the king's estimation?
Herodotus writes: I am not in a position to say for certain how particular Persians or Greeks fought, but Artemisia's behavior caused her to rise even higher in the king's estimation. It so happened that in the midst of the general confusion of the Persian fleet, Artemisia's ship was being chased by one from Attica.
Why did Herodotus pass over all the other officers of the Persians?
Herodotus writes: I pass over all the other officers [of the Persians] because there is no need for me to mention them, except for Artemisia, because I find it particularly remarkable that a woman should have taken part in the expedition against Greece.
Where did Artemisia get her name?
Her name is derived from the Greek goddess Artemis, who presided over the wild and was the patron deity of hunters. She was the daughter of King Lygdamis of Halicarnassus and a Cretan mother whose name is not known. Upon the death of her husband (whose identity is also unknown), Artemisia assumed the throne of Caria as regent for her young son ...
What happened to the island of Rhodes after the defeat of Caria?
This same holds true for the suppression of the revolt of Rhodes against Caria in which, after their defeat, the captured fleet of Rhodes sailed back to their home port leading ostensibly seized Carian ships and, in this way, the island was subdued without a lengthy engagement. Remove Ads.
Who was Artemisia in Greek mythology?
Other early references to Artemisia include the 5th century CE Greek physician Thessalus who spoke of her as a cowardly pirate; and the Greek playwright Aristophanes, who used her as a symbol of a strong and uppity warrior woman in his comic plays " Lysistrata " and "Thesmophoriazusae," equating her with the Amazons.
Who was Artemisia I?
Artemisia I of Halicarnassus (c. 520–460 BCE) was the ruler of the city of Halicarnassus at the time of the Persian Wars (499–449 BCE). As a Carian colony of Persia, Halicarnassus fought against the Greeks. The Greek historian Herodotus (484–425 BCE) was also a Carian, and he was born in that city during Artemisia's rule.
Why did Xerxes choose Artemisia?
Herodotus suggests that Xerxes selected Artemisia to lead a squadron to embarrass the Greeks, and indeed, when they heard about it, the Greeks offered a reward of 10,000 drachmas (about three years wages for a workman) for capturing Artemisia. No one succeeded in claiming the prize.
What was Artemisia's kingdom?
Her kingdom included the city of Halicarnassus and the nearby islands of Cos, Calymnos, and Nisyros. Artemisia I had at least one son, Pisindelis, who ruled Halicarnassus after her between roughly 460 and 450 BCE.
Where was Artemisia born?
Artemisia was likely born about 520 BCE in Halicarnassus, near what is today Bodrum, Turkey. Halicarnassus was the capital of the Carian satrapy of the Achaemenid Persian empire in Asia Minor during the reign of Darius I (ruled 522–486 BCE). She was a member of the Lygdamid dynasty (520–450 BCE) of rulers in the city, as the daughter of Lygadimis, ...
Where was Artemisia's relationship with Xerxes discovered?
Archaeological evidence of Artemisia's relationship with Xerxes was discovered in the ruins of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus by British archaeologist Charles Thomas Newton when he excavated there in 1857.
What happened at the Battle of Salamis?
Battle of Salamis. During the battle, Artemisia's found her flagship was being chased by an Athenian vessel and had no chance of escape. She rammed a friendly vessel which was commanded by the Calyndians and their king Damasithymos; the ship sank with all hands.
