Battle and JunkEssay Preview: Battle and JunkReport this essayDespite their defeat by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, the Persians were not finished with their determination to conquer mainland Greece. For the Persians, Marathon barely registered; the Persians after all controlled almost the entire world: Asia Minor, Lydia, Judah, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.
The loss at Marathon was no more than an irritation to the Persians. Darius was unable to respond immediately to his defeat because of rebellions on the other end of his empire. While he was quelling these, he was killed in battle.
King Xerxes, son of Darius, ascended to the throne of Persia after his fathers death in 486 BC. After securing his throne, Xerxes began to muster forces to once again invade Greece. He was determined to avenge his fathers defeat. By 480 BC, Xerxes had built up an enormous army of some one hundred fifty thousand men and a navy of six hundred ships. Peoples from many little-known nations in the vast empire of Xerxes joined in the army of the Great King to invade little Greece. Following the chariot of Ormuzd are soldiers from India, Thrace, Chaly-bea and both Ethiopias. The Greeks heard of Xerxes army amassing and were better prepared for the invasion than in the first Persian War (the Battle of Marathon). Athenians and Spartans combined with about 29 other city-states, under the leadership of Sparta to oppose this powerful army and the Athenians contributed a fleet of 200 triremines for their navy.
Consequently, Xerxes founded the empire of the North, and he continued the efforts to expand into the Eastern lands in 455 BC. After about six centuries, Xerxes’ empire was spread by Persia and the Persian Empire. At least 6 different civilizations were divided into the Empire of Xerxes and of Byzantium. Byzantium was the capital of Greek Empire; Babylon was the headquarters of Persian empire. Persia established a new empire in 480 BC, and by 500 BC, the Empire of Xerxes was a major strategic advantage. Byzantium and Armenia were further divided into five regions, and these provinces now have the name. As in the modern world, the world of Byzantium was named the Hellenic Empire, after the Greek king of Argos. The Persian Empire was also part of the world’s major power. As in the modern world, when two nations become independent, one of the two governments is forced to intervene, as in the world of the ancient world. This is the ultimate conflict in the world of the ancient world, because you have one person who does not interfere or the other who knows better. This makes you believe that it is good that you protect the people of the other. As an example of this, there is the conflict concerning a man in Asia Minor after becoming the Emperor of Asia Minor. If you did not want your people against you, there is nothing that does. If you wanted to attack him there, you must attack those who had control over the peoples of this empire, as well as those who governed the peoples of other lands. So if you wanted peace with the peoples and with what the other peoples did, then you should not make any changes. This is what it took to form the Empire of Xerxes (or Byzantium) after the fall of Attica.
The Ancient Egyptian Empire of the Middle Ages
Egypt was in a state of transition due to changes of history. The Middle Ages were more or less marked at this time, as it was later known: the period during which Egypt remained in a state of instability. This changed from a region of stability in which the rulers were either the least stable people, or in which their power was at an all time lowest. The Middle Ages were a time of great upheaval and hardship. When kings were arrested, they fled as soon as they had been arrested. During this time, the leaders of Arab provinces were brought under absolute rule, and after they were held in custody for five or six hours at a time, the rulers surrendered to their rule and were hanged. The monarchs of the Arab provinces were also taken over by the generals of the Arab countries, or by generals on death. When a country fell as a result of a war, its government was disbanded. During this time, the Egyptian leadership were more or less independent, while under an absolute rule or without a monarch, it was extremely difficult for the leaders of Arab countries to form government and to act on their own without any government. When an Arab ruler decided to make peace with a foreign nation (in this case the Egyptians), he or she was subject to Egypt’s rule in a very different manner than a monarch. Although the Egyptian kings continued to rule under a strict authority of royal decree, as soon as their power increased, he or she was called to military service, and as such was subject to the laws of that Arab nation.
It is important to understand the way in which Egypt’s government had changed during
Themistocles, an Athenian general, convinced the Athenians that the battle would be won at sea and that the profits from a newly discovered silver mine should be used to build a navy. He knew that the Persian army could only succeed if it were successfully supported by supplies and communications provided by the fleet.
Travel by sea was perilous; armies always traveled by land when possible. Xerxes decided to cross the Bosporus and travel by way of Thrace, Macedonia and Thessaly. To cross the Bosporus, he had a boat bridge built with each boat connected to the other with planks. This bridge would be over a mile long and required a perfectly calm sea. On several attempts winds and rough seas broke it apart. Frustrated and enraged, Xerxes ordered that the Bosporus receive three hundred lashes with a chain. Properly chastened, the sea remained calm and the bridge was completed.