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The Persian Wars
Xerxes Invades
The Bosporus presented the first obstacle. To cross it, Xerxes had a boat bridge built, with each boat attached to the next with planks. This was an enormous undertaking, for the bridge had to be over a mile long and involved many boats, and the sea of course had to remain perfectly calm.
The sea, evidently uninterested in Xerxes' campaign, did not remain calm. Time and again the boat bridge was nearly complete when winds and rough seas broke it apart. Xerxes was so exasperated with the god of the sea, so Herodotus tells us, that he commanded his slaves to whip the sea with chains.
It worked. The sea, properly chastened, behaved itself, the bridge was completed, and the Persian army crossed into Europe.
Xerxes had supply depots along the way, for the problem of supplying such a huge force was as great a task as actually battling the Greeks. Everything depended on keeping the army supplied. For this reason, Xerxes even had built a canal behind Mt. Athos, so that his army would not have to lose contact with his navy.
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| Themistocles |
Back in Athens, we now see a split in the citizens that will appear
more than once. The Athenians, faced with a choice of trying to
placate Persian or preparing for war, elected
Themistocles, who undertook a build-up of the navy, advocating war. They rejected
the peace party (mainly aristocrats). This split--the democrats
for war and the aristocrats for peace--would haunt Athens in later years.
Themistocles had argued for a navy in vain for several years. The Athenians had been so impressed by the brilliance of their army at the Battle of Marathon that they were inclined to place faith in soldiers rather than in a navy.
The question was a social one, too, for the army was dominated by the aristocrats whereas the navy employed many commoners. The Greeks did not use slaves to row their ships, they used citizens. An increased role for the navy meant increased political clout for the common people.
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| Temple of Delphi |
Herodotus tells how Themistocles was frustrated in every attempt to gain financing for a new navy. He was able finally to get approval when Athens, seeing the threat of Xerxes all too clearly, sent to the oracle at Delphi for advice.
The oracle answered in true Greek oracular style--in obscure verse. The gist of the verse was that Athens would be safe from the Persians behind a wall of wood. This could not be taken literally, for any wall made of wood could simply be burned down.
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| Model of a Greek trireme |
It was Themistocles who interpreted the oracle correctly. The wall of wood was in fact a fleet of wooden ships--the triremes of the Athenian navy.
The citizens were convinced, and they forthwith voted a huge increase in spending for the navy.