Why was themistocles ostracised

In the days following the Greek victory at Salamis, there was no Greek more revered and honored than Themistocles. In their awards ceremony for the victors, the Spartans gave Themistocles second prize for the guile and cunning he employed at Salamis, and the only reason he did not win the first prize was that he was not a Spartan. Once the Persian threat was eliminated, the Greeks returned to their internecine squabbling, which began to focus more on Athens and Sparta's struggle for control of the Hellenic League.

Seeing no other options, Themistocles finally fled to the protection of his old enemies in Persia. King Artaxerxes I ruled BC received the former Athenian general and allowed him to live out his last few years in exile. Themistocles of Athens is one of the most intriguing figures of the ancient world. He rose to prominence in Athens through a combination of skills and fortune and helped saved the Greeks from the Persian invasion. Despite his hero status, it was not enough to keep him from the often cruel world of Greek politics, which ultimately made his life a true Greek tragedy.

Admin , Jaredkrebsbach and EricLambrecht. The Histories. London: Penguin, , p. Translated by Bernadotte Perrin. Oxford, Oxford University Press, , p. Oxford, Oxford University Press , p. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. Search for: Search. Ostracism Ostracism was a procedure in the Athenian democracy in which any citizen could be expelled from Athens for ten years. Themistocles Themistocles — BC was an Athenian politician and general.

Popular this Week. Follow Us Twitter Facebook. The rear-guard was annihilated and the Persians rolled on to occupy central Greece. But Thermopylae did — crucially — prove that the Persian war machine could be stopped. After the Achaemenid defeat at Salamis he persuaded Xerxes to return to Asia and himself stayed behind with a large army. In the film The 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. In BC , at the age of about 30, Themistocles was elected to the post of archon, one of the city's most important elected officials. He began his term by supervising the fortification of the Piraeus, which would later become Athens' main harbour. A Trireme is an ancient oar-driven warship powered by about oars men. It was long and slender, had three tiers of oars and one sail.

On the bow was a battering ram that was used to destroy enemy ships. The tip of the ram was made of bronze and could easily slice through the side of a wooden ship. Themistocles now argued that this newly found windfall be devoted to building a navy. Radicals, mainly made up of poorer citizens, sided with Themistocles believing the building of a fleet would not only make Athens a great sea power, but provide them with jobs building the ships!

Why was themistocles ostracised? Their mountainous, rocky land was not good for farming, so the ancient Greeks became excellent sailors who traveled to distant lands. This is why Greece is often known as the Cradle of Western Civilization. The Greeks made important contributions to philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.

The Greeks were known for their sophisticated sculpture and architecture. Greek culture influenced the Roman Empire and many other civilizations, and it continues to influence modern cultures today. The tale of the ancient Greek civilization is a painful history of foreign supremacy. Ancient Greek Civilization. One of the most brilliant civilizations in world history, that of the ancient Greeks laid many of the foundations for the whole of Western civilization.

It produced radical innovations in a wide range of fields — philosophy, science, art, architecture, government and politics, and more. Ancient Greece is remembered for developing democracy, inventing Western philosophy, realistic art, developing theater like comedy and tragedy, the Olympic Games, inventing pi, and the Pythagoras theorem. Why is ancient Greece important to Western civilization? Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Why did Themistocles get ostracized? Ben Davis May 31,