11-23-2003, 09:02 AM
Hellenes supporting Persian king of the kings. Are they traitors or adherents of the Universal Empire?<br>
<br>
The most traditional opinion:<br>
In the war between despotic East and democratic West there is no place for compromise. Those Greeks who joined the Asiatic horde are traitors of Grecian freedom and couldn’t be forgiven.<br>
<br>
But there is other point of view:<br>
The Persian Empire was kind of Universal Empire. It was not THAT bad as it was described by Macedonian propaganda of Phillip II and Alexander the Great. This world power included multitudes of nations, tribes and cities. The regime was rather tolerant. It was not Empire of Evil at all. It was alternative to Greek principle of freedom, which meant ‘war of everyone against everyone’.<br>
I am not sure that after Persian wars Greeks in the Persian Empire (mostly in Asia Minor) lived worse than those in Greece. Asia Minor prospered in the united state, but Greece was tore apart by internal wars. King of the kings became semi-official arbiter of Greek disputes, sometimes a few talents of gold was enough to change the fate of Greek war.<br>
<br>
Well, freedom is freedom. It is absolute value. But maybe we are too harsh to those Hellenes, which lived happily under the rule of the universal king and fought for him? And those who were willing to be comprised in the world empire were not loathsome cowards, but people possessing reason? Was Greek liberty freedom of big cities to devour little ones?<br>
Persians treated Greeks better than Hellenes themselves. Hellenes were inclined to annihilate other Greek cities and populate these places by their own citizens. Can you imagine Persians treating Greeks as Spartans treated their helots? Or did Athenian tributaries live better than those under Persian ‘yoke’?<br>
After all, this part of the world was destined to be included in the great power in the end. And Persian Empire was not the worst solution.<br>
<p></p><i></i>
<br>
The most traditional opinion:<br>
In the war between despotic East and democratic West there is no place for compromise. Those Greeks who joined the Asiatic horde are traitors of Grecian freedom and couldn’t be forgiven.<br>
<br>
But there is other point of view:<br>
The Persian Empire was kind of Universal Empire. It was not THAT bad as it was described by Macedonian propaganda of Phillip II and Alexander the Great. This world power included multitudes of nations, tribes and cities. The regime was rather tolerant. It was not Empire of Evil at all. It was alternative to Greek principle of freedom, which meant ‘war of everyone against everyone’.<br>
I am not sure that after Persian wars Greeks in the Persian Empire (mostly in Asia Minor) lived worse than those in Greece. Asia Minor prospered in the united state, but Greece was tore apart by internal wars. King of the kings became semi-official arbiter of Greek disputes, sometimes a few talents of gold was enough to change the fate of Greek war.<br>
<br>
Well, freedom is freedom. It is absolute value. But maybe we are too harsh to those Hellenes, which lived happily under the rule of the universal king and fought for him? And those who were willing to be comprised in the world empire were not loathsome cowards, but people possessing reason? Was Greek liberty freedom of big cities to devour little ones?<br>
Persians treated Greeks better than Hellenes themselves. Hellenes were inclined to annihilate other Greek cities and populate these places by their own citizens. Can you imagine Persians treating Greeks as Spartans treated their helots? Or did Athenian tributaries live better than those under Persian ‘yoke’?<br>
After all, this part of the world was destined to be included in the great power in the end. And Persian Empire was not the worst solution.<br>
<p></p><i></i>
