[Leica] [IMG] Saving the Western World

[Jay Burleson]

Great history lesson & great photography, John.

Jay

On 5/20/2015 1:11 PM, John Nebel wrote:
> <http://photos.csd.net/athens_s_gi.html>
>
> Tetradrachm 483-480 BC
> O: Athena wearing a crested Corinthian helmet
> R: Owl, olive branch left, ΑΘΕ right, Α off the flan
>
> By 483 BC, the Athenians had discovered a new, large silver deposit in
> their Laurion mines.   One foresighted Athenian, Themistokles, persuaded
> the Athenian assembly that the newly mined silver should be used to pay
> for expansion of their navy. He knew the Persians were planning an
> invasion, although he used a local adversary, the Aeginetans as a more
> immediate and publicly acceptable reason for the naval expansion. As a
> result of Themistocles's persuasion, the Athenian navy was increased by
> 200 ships, triremes, three banks of oars, each ship to be manned by a
> crew of 200.
>
> In 480 BC, under the command of Xerxes, the Great King, an immense
> Persian army and navy invaded the fiercely independent collection of
> city-states comprising the Greek world. Cities surrendered, often
> without a fight, but a few stood fast, allied with the Spartans and
> Athenians.  A crack contingent of Spartans had been destroyed at
> Thermopylai and the Persians prepared to invade Athens although the
> Greek tenacity at Thermopylai had surprised Xerxes. The Athenians
> panicked, and again Themistokles intervened.  He convinced his fellow
> Athenians that a Pythian oracle advising them to seek refuge within
> wooden walls must be interpreted that the Athenians should take refuge
> in their triremes, ships of wood, which most indeed did.
>
> Herodotus 7.143-4
>
> "But a wall made of wood does farsighted Zeus to Tritogenes (Athena) grant
> Alone and unravaged, to help you and your children.
> Do not await peacefully the horse and the foot,
> The army gigantic that comes from the mainland;
> Withdraw, turn your backs, though someday you still will meet face to face"
>
> Athens was abandoned by its citizens, transported to safety in her
> ships, soon afterwards invaded and sacked by the Persians.
>
> The Persian navy pursued the Athenian and allied cities' ships, thinking
> them cornered, and Themistokles intervened yet again, persuading again
> with trickery, this time that the allied navy must fight the Persians
> rather than run, ultimately resulting in a decisive Greek naval victory
> at Salamis. The Persian defeat was viewed personally by Xerxes, watching
> from a throne on a nearby hilltop. Xerxes fully expected to be
> entertained by viewing a slaughter of the Greeks, thereby bloodily
> demonstrating his absolute power. Instead, Xerxes fearing for his life
> after the naval defeat, fled to Asia leaving behind only part of his
> army, the remaining men commanded by Mardonius, who, the next spring was
> killed with much of the remaining Persian force at the decisive infantry
> battle of Plataia.
>
> The allied navy and its victory at Salamis was the turning point, the
> Persian invasion had been stopped, the west had been saved from Persian
> domination. The coin shown is part of the emergency coinage of the
> Laurion silver used to pay for constructing and manning the Athenians'
> ships.