Persian Impact and Perspective

Question 1

What were the two main reasons for Persia to oppose Athens? Reference?

Answer 1

Athenian oversight in Ionia made Persian tributary collection very hard and they had supported the Carian revolt led by Amorges
8.5

Question 2

What role did Tissaphernes have?

Answer 2

military governor of the west

Question 3

What was the content of the 1st Sp-Persian treaty? Reference?

Answer 3

ancestral Persian territory to be restored to the P king (agreement that benefitted Persia far more than Sparta) and a mutual defence pact
8.18

Question 4

What was the content of the 2nd Sp-Persian treaty? Reference?

Answer 4

similar to first but with crucial assertion of patronage of spartan forces should they be on king’s territory
8.37

Question 5

What was the content of the 3rd Sp-Persian treaty? Reference?

Answer 5

extension of financial assistance (on a loan basis however) and the promise of the King’s ships to assist the Spartan fleet
8.58

Question 6

At the time that Sparta started working w Persia, what was their main aim?

Answer 6

Reclaim position as leader of Greece (8.2)

Question 7

When and why did Persia pause financial support to Sparta during Ionian War? Reference?

Answer 7

406 when Callicratidas took over as naurach of Sparta force from Lysander. He was v unpopular compared to Lysander in the eyes of Spartans and Ps
Xen.Hell.I.6

Question 8

Upon Lysander’s return to position of naurarch, what happened in terms of Sp-P relations? Reference?

Answer 8

Persia provided the most ships and financial support they ever had done
Xen.Hel.II.1

Question 9

What does Hyland say was crucial in Sparta securing a victory?

Answer 9

The Persian sum of money and support given to Lysander just prior to Aegospotami

Question 10

What is the term for the period of war the Persians were involved with in Thuc’s Pelo war?

Answer 10

Ionian War

Question 11

In what way does Alcibiades assert that Persians should be cautious as to allying w Sparta as opp to Athens at 8.46?

Answer 11

Athens are their imperial counterparts whereas Sparta were known as liberators

Question 12

When did Cyrus take over Tissaphernes’ job? (ref) How does this impact the Pelo war?

Answer 12

407 (Xen.Hell.I.4)
Cyrus was very willing to support the Spartans

Question 13

Why would Sparta initially have been on the backfoot with the shift of hostilities to the E Aegean?

Answer 13

It required seafaring abilities to not only travel there but maintain strength once there

Question 14

What about the nature of the Ionian war meant money was a decisive tool in the conflict?

Answer 14

naval warfare was expensive and relied on good financial backing

Question 15

What meant revolts in cities were well disposed to the Sparta-P cause?

Answer 15

often they were led by oligarchic factions

Question 16

What did the difficulties in Sp-P relations allow for?

Answer 16

time for athens to continue to recover post-sic

Question 17

When did Spartans seem to initially reach out to Persians? Evidence? Result of this?

Answer 17

431
Athenians intercepted a Persian envoy to Sparta in Eion which yielded info abt a series of letters betw Sp and P going back to 430
The Persian indiviuals were captured and Athens tehmselves thought they would try thier luck w persians but Artaxerxes, king at that time, died before they got in contact

Question 18

Why did Persians continue hostilities with Athens after P of Callias? When did this reduce and why?

Answer 18

Athens was weak and only able to half commit to fighting back whilst preoccupied w the peloponnesians
c420 Athens made peace w Sparta so could have all resources directed against Ps and Ps were internally divided on dynastic and civic levels

Question 19

What and when was a major insult to Persia by Athens? Signif?

Answer 19

support of satrapal rebellion of Amorges and Pissuthnes against the King in 414
led to persia being motivated to start hostilities again

Question 20

What did Persia do following sicilian disaster that was hostile to Athens?

Answer 20

sent enoys to sparta to discuss an alliance
started to collect tribute from previous trubutaries in ionia

Question 21

Why does Eddy suggest the repeat of conflict betw Persia and Athens was ‘natural’?

Answer 21

conflict that succeeded Peace of Callias
both places mituvated by military idealism
both had imperialist ambitions

Question 22

What are the unsual things that occur around the time of Peace of Callias? How does Eddy explain this?

Answer 22

fighting between Gs and Ps still continues and tribute was not collected in 448
There was a treaty agreed c449 so Athens did not collect tribute on account of absence of Persian threat, however, a small conflict again occured and thus the excuse to continue collecting arose again but the conflict was not so significant as to warrant an official declaration of war (‘cold war’ Eddy’s comparison)