04-13-2007, 05:30 PM
Quote:Yes, I agree with you, the word ‘rebel’ indeed implies being once ruled by the other party, which technically the Greeks had not been.The Athenians gave "earth and water" (Hdt. 5.73) in the late 500's, and many other Greek nations did so after the repression of the Ionian Revolt (6.48 ). From a Persian point of view, they were rebels.
Quote:I am not sure that Xerxes et al saw the Greeks as so many different states, instead of lumping them together.In his Royal Inscriptions, Xerxes distinguishes Yauna "on this side of the sea", Yauna "across the sea", and Yauna with straw hats (=Macedonians).
Quote:In modern language, Xerxes could have called the European Greeks ‘terrorists’.I think that 'terrorist' is a bit overstated: it implies a different type of strategy, aimed at citizens, trying to demoralize an enemy. Although the sack of Sardes clearly fits this pattern, it is one incident in a larger context of -more or less- normal war.
Quote:His campaign to mainland Greece can be well compared to Julius Caesar’s campaign to Britain, which was in part for glory, in part to stop the oversees aid for conquered Celts in Gaul?Yeah, that sounds plausible.
