Sources on the Greco-Persian wars
- Created by: robert
- Created on: 02-02-14 14:25
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- Sources on the Greco-Persian wars
- Archaeological sources
- Persia
- Cyrus Cylinder
- Advantages
- Tells us about Cyrus' Achievements
- Disadvantages
- Comissioned to show how great Cyrus was
- Makes it biased
- Comissioned to show how great Cyrus was
- Advantages
- Behistun inscription
- Advantages
- Written in three languages, showsing Darius trying to communicate with the whole empire
- Disadvantages
- Made as pro-Darius Propaganda
- Advantages
- Reliefs at Persepolis
- Advantages
- Depicts what actually happened
- Disadvantages
- Made to show the might of Persia
- Shows Proskynesis
- Shows nations in national dress, paying Tithe
- Advantages
- Royal Road
- Advantages
- Shows Darius' centralisation
- Disadvantages
- A lot of the road has not survived
- Advantages
- Persepolis itself
- Advantages
- Shows the might of the Persian empire
- shows centralisation of the empire
- Disadvantages
- Made to Impress Persias satraps
- Advantages
- Cuniform tablets
- Advantages
- Record official affairs
- Disadvantages
- Does not tell us about the war
- Advantages
- Coin of Darius
- Advantages
- Shows us the way in which Darius is trying to confirm his rule
- Disadvantages
- Made as propaganda to show him as wise and powerful
- Shows Darius as a Bowman
- Advantages
- Cyrus Cylinder
- Greece
- Vase
- Eurymedon
- Advantages
- Shows that the Greek beat the Persians
- Is a contempory source
- Disadvantages
- Made to entertain
- Advantages
- Hoplite attacking Persian
- Advantages
- Clearly shows the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians in the Stripy Pyjamas
- Disadvantages
- Made for a greek audience so shows Greece winning
- Advantages
- Eurymedon
- Athenian and Plataean burial mounds
- Advantages
- Shows that a great battle must have taken place
- Gives us an idea of the scale of the battle
- Backs up literary evidence
- Disadvantages
- We do not know the exact number of bodies
- Advantages
- Bronze persian helmet dedicated to Zeus at olympia
- Advantages
- Shows that the Greeks myst have beaten the Persians otherwise they could not have got the helmet
- Disadvantages
- We cannot be sure where it came from
- Advantages
- Themistocles Decree
- Advantages
- Backs up other sources on the battle of Salamis
- Disadvantages
- Written by a greek, so may show anti-Persian bias
- Advantages
- Snake tripod
- Advantages
- Tells us the different Poleis that participated
- Disadvantages
- Does not show the disunity within the alliance
- Advantages
- Evidence of the sacking of Athens
- Advantages
- Backed up with literary evidence
- Advantages
- Vase
- Obsidian and Bronze arrow heads
- Advantages
- We can look at the styles to see which nations participated in battle.
- Advantages
- Persia
- Literary sources
- Persia
- Xenophon, Cyropaedia
- Advantages
- Would have been able to interview people who were alive during Cyrus' reign
- Disadvantages
- Was a Greek, so may show anti Persian agenda
- Advantages
- Herodotus
- Advantages
- Went to Persia
- Fairly un-biased
- Disadvantages
- Does play down Persian victories
- Advantages
- Bible
- Disadvantages
- Written on a moral basis
- Advantages
- Backs up other sources, such as as the Cyrus Cylinder
- Disadvantages
- Aeschylus
- Disadvantages
- Biased against the Persians
- Written to entertain
- Advantages
- Backs up other sources
- Had to base his plays on real things
- Disadvantages
- Suda
- Disadvantages
- Written hundreds of years later
- Advantages
- Had hindsight
- Says the Persian cavalery were leaving Marathon
- Disadvantages
- Xenophon, Cyropaedia
- Greece
- Thucydides
- Advantages
- Contemporary
- Had military expertise
- Should be fairly unbiased as he was ostracised from Athens
- Disadvantages
- Did not take part in the wars
- Advantages
- Herodotus
- Advantages
- On the whole, Fairly un-biased
- Widely traveled
- Disadvantages
- Goes off on tangents
- Would have relied on translators
- Advantages
- Aristotle
- Disadvantages
- Born around 100 years later
- Advantages
- Would have had access to a large number of sources
- Disadvantages
- Phrynicus
- Advantages
- Was contempory
- Disadvantages
- Was writing to entertain as he was a poet
- Advantages
- Cornelius Nepos
- Disadvantages
- Was alive during the last centruy BC.
- Advantages
- Had hindsight on his side
- Disadvantages
- Plutarch
- Advantages
- Would have had hindsight on his side
- He wouldhave had access to lots of sources
- Disadvantages
- Was writing a few hundred years later than these events
- Advantages
- Aeschylus
- Advantages
- Was a contempory comentator
- Would have to tell the truth to make his play appeal
- Disadvantages
- Was writing to entertain
- Wouls not have seen the battle
- Biased towards the Greeks
- Advantages
- Diodorus
- Disadvantages
- is not contemporary
- Advantages
- Would not have the bias of the time
- Disadvantages
- Theopompus
- Claims the Peace of Callias is a fake as it was written in Ionian greek rather than Attic
- Advantages
- Would have had hindsight to aid him
- Disadvantages
- Lived about 100 years after these events
- Thucydides
- Persia
- Archaeological sources
- Advantages
- Backs up other sources, such as as the Cyrus Cylinder
- Untitled
- Untitled
- Untitled
- Untitled
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- Untitled
- Untitled
- Suda
- Disadvantages
- Written hundreds of years later
- Advantages
- Had hindsight
- Says the Persian cavalery were leaving Marathon
- Disadvantages
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