Margaret Hunter – Page 17 – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History

Posted on December 22, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — 2 Comments

Artaxerxes II and III

Artaxerxes II was the son of King Darius II of Persia. He claimed the throne of Persia in 404 B.C. and he ruled until 358 B.C. which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline with World History. Once he came to power his brother Cyrus the Younger made a claim to the throne. Cyrus was a governor and general in the service of his father Darius II and when the king died Cyrus wanted to become the next ruler of Persia. Cyrus wasn’t able to fulfill that goal because he was accidently killed by one of his soldiers named Mithridates. There was great celebration given in Persia by King Artaxerxes II after this incident occurred. Mithridates attended the function and heard King Artaxerxes II boast about killing his brother. Once he heard the king he then started to tell everyone the truth about the incident. King Artaxerxes II had the young soldier executed for hurting his reputation with his subjects.

King Artaxerxes II reign was defined by the amount of wars that he fought to keep the empire intact. The most notable battle of his reign was against the Spartans who invaded his territory around 396 B.C. The king managed to repel the Spartans after fighting them over a two year time period. From 385 B.C. to 373 B.C. King Artaxerxes II tried to retake Egypt and place it back under Persian control but he wasn’t able to achieve this goal. Toward the end of his reign, various satraps or Persian governors began to revolt against his power. These revolts occurred in Phrygia, Armenia, Caria, and Maussolus. These revolts were put down in 362 B.C. King Artaxerxes II had two wives. One was named Statira and his other wife’s name was unknown. He had three sons named Darius, Artaxerxes III Ochus, and Ariaspes. His daughters were named Apama, Atossa, Amestris, and Rhodogyne. He died in 358 B.C. and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes III.

Artaxerxes III
King Artaxerxes III was born as Ochus and he took over the Persian Empire in 358 B.C. shortly after his father died. One of his brothers was murdered and the other committed suicide and only he was left to lay claim to the throne. King Artaxerxes murdered the rest of his royal family once he took over. When his father King Artaxerxes II was alive he served as a governor and military commander in his service.

Artaxerxes_II_and_III — Artaxerxes II tomb Persepolis Iran.

Artaxerxes III continued the campaign against the Spartans and Greeks, he fought against the Egyptians and he constantly dealt with the rebellious provinces in his empire. He managed to defeat the Egyptians and then became the Pharaoh of the 31st dynasty. Some sources claim that King Artaxerxes III was a ruthless monarch who used force and power to govern his lands. His aggressive style of rule allowed him to stop the rebellions that were occurring within the empire. Toward the end of his reign, he had managed to bring about a six-year peace to the empire. He was poisoned by an official named Bogoas in 338 B.C. Before his death, he fathered over 150 children from his many concubines.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaxerxes_II_of_Persia
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/artaxerxes-ii.html
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/artaxerxes-ii-achaemenid-king

Posted on December 21, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire of Syria

King Antiochus II Soter was assassinated by his Laodice I and after his death she placed their son King Seleucus II on the throne. He ruled from 246 B.C. to 225 B.C. but he eventually lost his life in a horse riding accident. Before he died he had two sons and their names were Seleucus III and Antiochus III. Seleucus III took over the throne after his father died, but he was assassinated a few years later. This is when Antiochus III came to power and also when he appears on the Biblical Timeline Poster with World History.

King Antiochus III came to power when the Seleucid Empire was going into decline. Bactria and Parthia had broken away many years earlier under Antioch II Soter. The previous two rulers didn’t have any success with trying to restore order either and, as a result, the kingdom was becoming more unstable. Two more empires broke away from the empire; Media and Persis. The Seleucid Dynasty was losing control of their lands and their empire was in danger of crumbling.

When King Antiochus III took over the empire he was young and in need of guidance. His counselors directed him to wage war against the Egyptian ruler Ptolemy in Syria instead of dealing with the rebels. As a result of this advice he was not only defeated in battle by Ptolemy he started to lose the respect of the people. After his defeat in Syria, he redirected his efforts to the rebels and managed to get Medes and Persis back under control. He then resumed the war against Egypt once again. His cousin Achaeus had managed to control the rebellions in Asia Minor and when he put them down he declared himself king. King Antiochus III decided to allow him to keep this position until he was finished dealing with Syria.

King Antiochus III was defeated once again and this time he had to retreat into Asia Minor. Once he was there he killed Achaeus. He retook Asia Minor and began to travel back to the north and east to regain lost territories in these regions. He then made his away across the empire until he reached India.

Antiochus_III_of_the_Seleucid_Empire_of_Syria — Antiochus III The Great

After reclaiming lost lands in this region, he became known as King Antiochus the Great. His conquests were grand, but he still didn’t compare with King Alexander. He then returned to the western half of his empire to take on the Egyptians in Syria once again. He fought a series of battles and eventually won the territory.

While King Antiochus III was trying to reestablish his empire the Romans realized what was happening under his rule. King Antiochus was now pushing his forces into Greece and encroaching on the outer borders of the Roman Empire. The Romans didn’t want this so the Romans went to war with him and defeated him at the battle of Thermopylae. After this incident, Rome took control of Asia Minor. General Hannibal from Carthage was hiding out in the court of King Antiochus III and he tried to rout the Romans with his help. This too proved to be unsuccessful. King Antiochus III then headed east to try and recapture some more lands for his fledging empire, but he died during this campaign in 187 B.C. He had eight children by his wife Laodice of Pontus and Seleucus IV Philopator.

After the reign of King Antiochus III, the Seleucid Dynasty was near its end. The empire had fragmented and the Romans were now controlling his lands. The future Seleucid rulers after him could not hold the empire together and it finally came to an end in 63 B.C.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_III_the_Great
http://www.livius.org/am-ao/antiochus/antiochus_iii.html
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1588-antiochus-iii-the-great

Posted on December 20, 2012August 13, 2015 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Antiochus II of Seleucid Empire

King Antiochus II of the Seleucid Dynasty was the third ruler of this particular line of kings. He was born to King Antiochus I Soter in 286 B.C. which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline Poster with World History. He was named King Antiochus II Theos or “god” during the second Syrian war that erupted during his reign. During the struggle with Egypt, he encountered a tyrant named Timarchus who was harassing a group of people known as the Milesians.

While King Antiochus II Theos was in power he had to deal with a number of problems within his empire. Most of these problems were created from the minor kings and governors who continued to rebel and keep intrigue within their courts. Some governors managed to pull away from his empire such as Andragoras who ruled over Parthia. Another governor named Diodotus led another one of his provinces named Bactria into revolt. While these events were occurring King Antiochus II Theos was engaged in a war with the Egyptian Ptolemies over the land of Syria. He eventually made peace with the ruling Ptolemy and turned his attention back to the rebellions. When he did it was too late because Parthia had become an independent kingdom that cut off India from his empire.

King Antiochus II didn’t spend a lot of time trying to regain lost territory. He knew that his forces couldn’t contain every last area of the empire. He ensured that the areas that were situated in Asia Minor and Syria were under his control. King Antiochus II already realized that it would have been a waste of time and manpower to try and contain all of the growing unrest throughout every last part of his empire.

Antiochus_II_of_Seleucid_Empire — Coin of Antiochus II

While he was losing parts of his empire he had to marry the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus as an act of good faith for the treaty. This marriage proved to be problematic for the king since he was already married to Laodice I. So he divorced her and banished her to Asia Minor. The rejected Queen did everything that she could in order to regain her position. King Antiochus II couldn’t do anything about this situation until Ptolemy II Philadelphus had died. Once Ptolemy died King Antiochus II divorced his daughter Berenice and went back to Laodice I who ended up poisoning the king. She also killed Berenice and their son. She then placed her son Seleucus II on the throne.

The Seleucid Empire began to go into decline under King Antiochus II Theos. He wasn’t able to keep effective rule over the area and this wasn’t totally his fault. Many of the people that were conquered by the Greeks wanted to be free from these rulers. They were sick and tired of the constant warfare that was occurring between the Greek monarchs. The Greeks allowed the conquered lands to live as they have always done in the past, but most of these people wanted to be free from Greek authority. They had been rebelling long before King Antiochus II Theo took over the throne and their rebellion would become a lot more apparent in the immediate years following his reign.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_II_Theos
http://www.livius.org/am-ao/antiochus/antiochus_ii_theos.html
http://www.seleucid-genealogy.com/Antiochus_II.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AntiochusII.jpg

Posted on December 19, 2012September 28, 2018 by Margaret Hunter — 2 Comments

Antiochus I, Syria

Antiochus I was also called Antiochus I Soter or “Antiochus the Savior”.
He received this name after he stopped the Gauls from overrunning Asia Minor. He was the son of Seleucus I who had founded the Seleucid Dynasty. Antiochus I was known as the second ruler of this dynasty and he governed lands that stretched from Syria to India. He appears on the Biblical Timeline Chart with World History beginning in 281 BC.

King Seleucus I was murdered by rival diadochi or generals who served under Alexander the Great. Once his father was assassinated in 281 B.C. Antiochus took over the empire and inherited a huge mess. He had to make peace with Ptolemy Keraunos (Ptolemy II) the person who was responsible for assassinating his father. Ptolemy II was the ruler of Egypt. The rest of the empire began to revolt against his rule and had trouble trying to keep it unified. He eventually went to war with Ptolemy II over the territory of Syria. While Antiochus ruled in Syria, Ptolemy still laid claim to the region. Antiochus went to war with Ptolemy. King Antiochus didn’t lose any territory after this conflict yet Ptolemy sill claimed the land.

Antiochus_I,_Seleucid_Era — Gallo-Roman statue of a Gaul warrior

King Antiochus originally governed Bactria before his father died. After becoming king, he spent a great deal of time in Babylon taking an interest in the worship of Sin and Marduk. After he put down many of the rebellions within his empire he had to rule the area pretty sternly in order to keep the peace. King Antiochus I was constantly moving his armies around the empire to deal with the problems that were continually occurring during his rule.

King Seleucus had married a woman named Apama who was a Persian princess given to him by Alexander the Great. King Alexander gave Persian princesses to all of his generals in Susa. After King Alexander had passed away all of his generals got rid of their Persian wives except for Seleucus I. He stays married to Apama and they had children together including Antiochus. As the king grew older his wife Apama passed away and he married a young and beautiful Persian princess named Stratonice. This young queen was about the same age as Antiochus when she married his father and he had fallen in love with her. His father decided to give her to him as a wife so he wouldn’t do anything harmful to himself because he was so stricken by this young woman. So Antiochus married Stratonice and had children. Stratonice also bore children to King Seleucus before he died. King Antiochus and Stratonice children were named Seleucus, Apama II, Stratonice of Macedon and Antiochus II Theos.

King Antiochus son Seleucus wanted to take over his father’s throne by force and King Antiochus had him killed. When King Antiochus II Soter died in 261 B.C. his son Antiochus II Theos became the next ruler. The empire remained intact under King Antiochus rule and though there were some minor changes to the empire he still managed to keep the area in one piece. His efforts helped his dynasty to continue on for at least another 100 years.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_I_Soter
http://www.livius.org/am-ao/antiochus/antiochus_i_soter.html
http://www.seleucid-genealogy.com/Antiochus_I.html

Posted on December 18, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Syria Seleucus I

One of Alexander the Great‘s generals was named Seleucus, and he was a satrap or governor of Babylon when King Alexander died. When Alexander the great died in 323 B.C. his generals, closest friends and family members divided up his empire that he managed to create within a ten year period. King Alexander’s generals were given the title of diadochi by future historians, and they took most of the empire for themselves. After King Alexander had passed away, Seleucus claimed Syria and Iran for himself. Once he became king, he started the Seleucid Dynasty that ruled Asia Minor, areas of the Middle East and inside of Asia. He appears on the Bible Timeline Chart with World History in the third century BC.

Seleucus’ father was named Antiochus, and he served as a general in the military forces of King Philip II of Macedonia. King Philip II was Alexander the Great’s father and Seleucus was a friend of King Alexander. So Seleucus was probably educated in the same manner as Alexander the Great. When King Alexander was alive General Seleucus fought against the Persians and Indians under his leadership. Most of Seleucus’ childhood was spent learning how to fight and how to govern. He was more than likely educated in King Philip’s palace since the king made it a point to take the children of leading Macedonian citizen’s hostage so that they would remain loyal to him.

Before Seleucus took over as king, he was driven out of Babylon by Antigonous, who was another general of King Alexander. He fled to Egypt to aid another diadochi member named Ptolemy in defeating Antigonus. Ptolemy helped him to defeat Antigonus. After he had defeated Antigonous in 312 B.C., he was able to make himself king of Babylon and usher in the Seleucid Era.

Antigonous made one more unsuccessful attempt to stop him, but he failed. Seleucus then extended his empire into India. Antigonous remained a problem for Seleucus and by 303 BC he was finally defeated by Seleucus and a coalition that fought with him. When the Antigonous’ lands were being divided up Seleucis became the king of this territory. Ptolemy laid claim to Syria for himself because he supported the coalition but didn’t send any troops to help oust Antigonous. Seleucus didn’t go to war with him right away, and half-heartedly dismissed his claim. Eventually, Seleucus did go to war with Ptolemy and Seleucus still retained Syria though Ptolemy still laid claim to his territory. Eventually, Ptolemy’s son Ceraunus had Seleucus assassinated in 281 B.C. Before he died, Seleucus had managed to retake most of Alexander’s empire after he conquered Lysimachus, who was another one of Alexander’s generals. He was about to seize the throne of Macedonia, but he died before he achieved this goal. After his death, the empire that he formed would manage to remain intact until the Romans.

Before Seleucus died, he married a Persian woman named Apama in a mass wedding given by Alexander the Great for his generals. King Alexander performed this ceremony as a means to show good will between Greece and their conquered subjects. After his death, the other diadochi’s got rid of their wives but Seleucus kept Apama. He also married another woman named Stratonice who was very young compared to Seleucus. King Seleucus had a step son named Antiochus who fell in love with Stratonice, so he gave her to him so that he wouldn’t do anything foolish to obtain her love. He had a daughter named Phila with Stronice and two other daughters named Apama and Laodice with his wife, Apama. Antiochus and Achaeus were his sons. He was succeeded by Antiochus I Soter.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator
http://www.livius.org/se-sg/seleucids/seleucus_i_nicator.html
http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/SeleucusI.html
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/seleucus-i.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seleuco_I_Nicatore.JPG

Posted on December 17, 2012September 23, 2015 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Rome and Samnite War

The Samnites were different tribal groups of people that existed in the southern and central parts of Italy around 600 B.C. Their homeland was called Samnium, and they were a nomadic and warlike people.

The Samnites didn’t pose a threat to Rome until around 343 B.C., which is where they appear on the Biblical Timeline with World History. When Rome was first forged and governed itself under monarchy system, the Samnite tribes were too obscure to cause them any problems. In time, the various tribes that existed in Samnium started to grow in power, and they started to attack other tribes all throughout the Italian region. As Rome began to become the dominant force in Italy, the Samnites would eventually challenge their superiority.

Samnite_Tribes,War_with_Rome — Samnite soldiers from a tomb fresco from Nola

Samnite soldiers from a tomb fresco from Nola

The Samnite Wars occurred when these two powerful Italian cultures clashed. The Samnites were a wild group of people and eventually some of them had managed to give up their nomadic lifestyle. They settled down in an area of Italy called Campania. The group of Samnites that resided in Campania became civilized and adopted many of the customs of the people who already resided in the area. Though some Samnites chose to be civilized the vast majority of them continued to live as wild barbarians.

The uncivilized Samnites started to attack the people of Campania and various Greek colonies that were located in southwestern Italy. The indigenous population of Campania couldn’t stop the Samnites from settling on their lands and taking over their territory. They had to appeal to Rome for help. Rome was at peace with the Samnites because they didn’t pose a threat. Rome also had a peace treaty with the Samnites.

Even though this was the case, when the leaders of Campania subjected themselves to Roman rule the Roman Republic decided to act on their behalf. The Romans drove out the Samnites from Campania and continued to protect the area. This was the first Samnite War, and it happened between 343 B.C. and 341 B.C. Rome and the Samnite tribes then signed another peace treaty.

The second Samnite war happened between 326 B.C. and 304 B.C. The Romans once again disregarded the treaty that it held with the Samites and decided to ally itself with another tribal group who was at war with their Samnium allies. Another incident happened when Rome aligned themselves with another enemy of the Samnites. Rome and the Samnites went back to war and both sides won and lost various battles. Rome suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Caudine Fork, which is considered one of the greatest military defeats in Roman history.

Rome also managed to set up colonies that encircled Samnium. The two Italian powers eventually set up another treaty. The third and final Samnite war occurred between 298 B.C. and 290 B.C. This time around the Samnites persuaded the Etruscans and the Guals to become allies and they moved against Rome. Once again Rome decided to help the Samnite’s allies though it still held peace treaties with these tribes.

The Samnites and their allies nearly wiped out the Romans, but Rome managed to pull out a last minute rout and decisively defeated their enemies. With this defeat, the Samnites no longer had the power to strike back again. They were finally subdued in 290 B.C. and absorbed into the Roman Republic. Once the Samnites were defeated, they lost their lands and Rome had become a large and dominant force in Italy. The Samnite wars were a major event in the history of Rome that would make it into one of the greatest empires of all time.

References:
http://www.unrv.com/empire/samnite-wars.php
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/republicanromanbattles/qt/080107SamniteWr.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samnite_Wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samnites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Samnite_soldiers_from_a_tomb_frieze_in_Nola_4th_century_BCE.jpg

Posted on December 15, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Rome and Carthage Commercial Treaties

The Republic of Rome was founded around 509 B.C., and the city-state of Carthage had been in existence since the 9th century B.C. These two great ancient powers were overseas neighbors who had access to the Mediterranean Sea. They also had various city states and territories that they controlled. Rome was primarily a land-based empire that conducted most of its economic trade over established land routes. Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians who were great sailors, and they had created trade routes with various cities that stretched across the Mediterranean Sea. The Economic trade was vital to the success of both empires. Rome and Carthage needed the trade routes to import metals, spices, gold, timber and food, and they also needed them to export their products to the rest of the ancient world for a fee. Trade routes were also needed to collect tributes sent by conquered kingdoms and lands.

Main areas of influence in West Mediterranean Sea in 509 BC.

Since both empires were located in proximity to each other, they had to sign treaties to maintain peace and to define the territories where they would conduct their operations. There were four treaties between Rome and Carthage that were put into effect between the years 509 B.C. and 279 B.C., which is where this is noted on the Bible Timeline with World History.

The first treaty was created in the same year that Rome became a Republic. The Romans had been at war with many of the neighboring tribes that was located in the region of southern Italy. Since they didn’t have a standing naval force, they had relied on Greek and Etruscan sailors to provide them with supplies. This proved to be problematic for the Romans, and they sought the help of Carthage to remedy the situation. Greece had a strong presence throughout the Mediterranean world, and they set up colonies all throughout the region. The Greeks were also great sailors and their presence presented problems to the Carthaginians who competed with them over the trade routes. Rome and Carthage realized that a treaty would help both powers to help secure their trade routes and to work together with eliminating potential enemies or rivals to their economic security. This treaty began in 509 B.C. and ended in 348 B.C.

In 348 B.C., the Romans were involved in heavy fighting with other neighboring tribes and the Carthaginians were now controlling the eastern section of the Mediterranean Sea. Rome and Carthage decided to aid each other through another treaty that was very similar to the first one they signed in 509 B.C. The third treaty went into effect in 343 B.C., and it gave more power to Carthage while it limited the Roman presence in certain areas such as Sicily. The last treaty was signed in 270 B.C.

These series of treaties ultimately allowed Rome and Carthage to expand their empires and power throughout the Mediterranean area. They also allowed Rome to become a stronger and more powerful force. Rome still didn’t have a top notch naval force when compared to the Greeks or Carthaginians, but they did develop a first rate fleet that could compete with these two major maritime forces. By the time that the treaties were over Carthage and Rome had both grown large enough to where one day they would contend with each other for dominance over the Mediterranean world. Rome and Carthage eventually went to war and Rome won the conflict. Once they dominated Carthage they took over their trade routes and economic activity that allowed the Romans to become more wealthy and powerful.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaties_between_Rome_and_Carthage
http://hannibalbarca.webspace.virginmedia.com/treaties-rome-carthage.htm
http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/carthage.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:West_Mediterranean_Areas_509_BC.png

Posted on December 14, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — 1 Comment

Greek The Universal Language

As English is today, Greek was the universal language from about 300 BC to AD 200 which is where a notation is made on the Biblical Timeline with world history. All throughout the history of the world one particular kingdom or nation would rise to become the dominant force in the known world. Once this particular kingdom or nation became significant above all others, they would usually transmit their culture, laws, religious beliefs, political systems and language to the people that were subjected to their power. Ancient Egypt, Persia and Rome were great powers who did this in the past and so were the ancient Greeks.

Greek_Universal_Language_300_BC_to_200_AD — Ancient epichoric variants of the Greek alphabet from Euboea, Ionia, Athens and Corinth

Ancient epichoric variants of the Greek alphabet from Euboea, Ionia, Athens and Corinth

The Greeks were not a significant world power until the time of Alexander the Great. After King Alexander conquered much of the known world Greek ideology, thought, religious beliefs and its language spread all throughout the world. This process was known as Hellenism, and many kingdoms and empires were affected by this process.

Once news arrived back home of Alexander’s conquest many Greek citizens started to resettle into the various lands that he had conquered. When they arrived, they brought with them their culture, history and way of life. The Greeks had controlled key aspects of the Ptolemaic dynasty introduced Greek to the Egyptians, the Seleucid rulers brought the Greek way of life to the Syria-Mesopotamia and Antioch and the Attalid Dynasty made sure the inhabitants of India and Pergamum were exposed to Greek.

The Greek language had become so influential and dominant in the ancient world that many ancient writers created many of their religious texts and great works in the Greek language. The Jews translated the Tanakh into Greek and called it the Septuagint. The Christians also used Greek to write the New Testament. Arabians, Persians and Indians all wrote down a vast amount of information in the Greek language. Many ancient libraries were filled with Greek manuscripts between 300 B.C. to around 200 A.D. Koine Greek was the type of Greek dialect that was common in ancient times.

When Greek leaders had conquered or taken a region, they would deport some of the educated citizens from these regions back to Greece. Or to other parts of their empires so that they could learn how to speak, read and write Greek. The language began to fuse with other cultures and for at least a thousand years people throughout the known world thought of Greek as a language for the highly educated members of society. Even the Romans were influenced by the use of Greek since it had remained popular during the glory days of the Roman Empire. As with all things, the Greek language began to decline, and it no longer remained relevant especially after the Western Roman Empire had fallen to the barbarians.

Many Greek documents and information were lost when Western Rome declined, and most of western society went into a state of illiteracy and ignorance. Soon western society was able to reconnect with its enlightened past from the Crusades, expanded trade with the foreign world and the Renaissance. Greek culture, philosophy and language were revived once again. Though Greece is no longer a relevant part of the modern world, the legacy that they have left behind has shaped and influenced all of contemporary western society.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_civilization
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0008_0_08708.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koine_Greek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Greek_alphabet_variants.png

Posted on December 13, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Demosthenes Greek Orator and Politician

Demosthenes was one of Greece’s greatest orators and politicians. He lived from 385 BC to 322 BC which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline with World History. He was important to Greek society because he elevated the art form of speech. His ability to speak well helped him to gain one of the leadership positions inside of ancient Athens about the time that Macedonia was about become a world power.

Demosthenes was born around 385 B.C. to a wealthy family. His father was a sword maker who had become a very prosperous. His parents died when he was seven years old and then he was cared for by guardians. His father had a hefty inheritance that he left for his son in order to take care of Demosthenes. His guardians had taken advantage of this situation and used the money on themselves. When Demosthenes became older he found out about what had happened and received restitution for the misuse of his funds.

When Demosthenes was younger he was educated but he wasn’t a great speaker. He had a speech impediment and he suffered socially because of this handicap. However, in time he had learned to overcome this impediment and learned how to become a great speaker. Demosthenes realized in his youth that he had the ability to speak well, but he needed training in order to bring out the best of his talent.

He went through a rigorous program for many years that helped to prepare him to become an excellent orator. After improving his rhetorical skills, he began his career as a writer who wrote speeches for clients involved in judicial cases.

In ancient Athens, people were not allowed to have a lawyer speak on their behalf so Demosthenes would write out their speeches. He worked the legal system for many years before he decided to move into the political arena. He eventually became known as a trierarch and worked on trireme or ancient Greek ship.

He also produced plays which were an important part of Greek society. He wrote articles against people who opposed certain civic, military and social functions such as taxes, the importance of the Greek navy and alliances with foreign powers.

Demosthenes started to become deeply involved in politics and it soon led him to the point where he was denouncing a rising king who was about to make Greece a world power. Philip II was a Macedonian king was about to bring all of Greece under his power. Demosthenes had enough foresight to realize that his city-state of Athens was in danger of losing their sovereignty to the Macedonians.

Other politicians also recognized that this was inevitable and insisted that the Athenians try to make the best out of the coming situation, but Demosthenes decided that they should fight against the growing power of Philip II. He encouraged the Athenian leaders to prepare a rapid force of warriors to protect Athens against Philip II and used whatever means that he could socially and politically to oppose him.

Athens resisted Philip II for many years, but they eventually fell to the power of Macedonia. Demosthenes had strongly denounced King Philip II throughout the course of his lifetime. He also felt the same way about his son Alexander the Great and before King Alexander left to conquer the world he too had to put up with Demosthenes rhetoric.

After Alexander the Great died, Demosthenes was still trying to get the Athenians to break free from Macedonian rule. He eventually was imprisoned for his actions. He then escaped from jail and was hunted down. Before he was captured and returned to prison he died in 322 B.C.

The Greeks highly esteemed great orators and rhetoric because they were living examples of the great knowledge and genius that would characterize Greece. Demosthenes was an example of a great Greek orator and statesmen who influenced the lives of many people throughout the years.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demosthenes http://www.livius.org/de-dh/demosthenes/demosthenes.html http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekmenandwomen/p/Demosthenes.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Demosthenes_orator_Louvre.jpg

Posted on December 12, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — 2 Comments

Greek and Persian Wars

The Persians had come to power under King Cyrus the Great, and they had conquered many kingdoms, empires, and city-states. The reach of the Persian Empire spread far and wide across the ancient world. They conquered territories in the east as far as India and conquered lands in the west that stretched all the way to Egypt. In the time of their conquest and expansion the Persians wanted to conquer the Greeks. The wars eventually ended in 450 BC. They appear on the World History Timeline between 500 BC and 450 BC

Greek-Persian_Wars — Greek hoplite and Persian warrior fighting each other

Greek hoplite and Persian warrior fighting each other

Many historical records that outline this war has been recorded by the Greeks and by a first class historian named Herodotus. The Persians didn’t leave much information about their war with the Greeks even though evidence of their wars with the Greeks could be found in other historical sources.

The war was initially started when Cyrus the Great attacked Lydia after he successfully rebelled against the Medians. During his conquest of Lydia, he had asked the Ionians (early Greeks) to fight against this empire. The kingdom of Lydia ruled over the Ionians at the time, but the Greeks didn’t want to join the Persians in a battle against them in case they lost the war.

After the Persians had conquered Lydia, the Greeks decided to submit to Persian rule but Cyrus the Great refused this offer he sent his armies against the various Greek city-states to punish them for their rebellion. Eventually, the Persians conquered the Ionian city states but the conquered Greeks were not easily controlled. Cyrus had set up tyrants to rule the Greek city-states, but the Greeks didn’t approve of them at all. Over time the Greeks rebelled and by 493 B.C. the Persian province of Greece had experienced major rebellions and social disorder. By this time, another Persian ruler named Darius the Great was on the throne and the Greeks had decided to remove completely themselves from the bonds of the Persian yoke.

Darius the Great realized that Greek rebellion would ultimately pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Empire. So he decided to put down the Greek rebellions for once and all by sending a sizeable force into the region. The Persian forces managed to destroy many Greek cities that they encountered, and as they made their way toward the middle part of the Greek territory, the Ionians began to fight back against them. This proved to be futile because Persia defeated the Greeks with ease. Many of the Greek states had decided to accept King Darius’ terms of peace, but Athens and Sparta refused to submit to the power of the Persians. After they had killed the ambassadors that were sent by Persia to these two city-states, the Persians began their assault on Greece.

In 490 B.C., the Persian invasion of Greece was already in full swing, and many of the Greeks along the coastal areas were defeated and enslaved by the Persian Empire. The first real test for the Persians happened in at the Battle of Marathon where Athenian forces managed to halt the Persian advance. The Greeks routed the mighty Persian army and sent them fleeing home.
The Persians were not going to let go of Greece so easily, so they regrouped and attacked Greece once again in 480 B.C. The Persians were primarily crossing overland this time, and they would have to pass through an area of Greece known as Thermopylae to reach the Athens and Persians. The 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas I was allied with the Athenians and a few other city-states to make a stand against Persia. The Spartans went ahead of their allies and took on the large Persian army at a narrow pass in the Thermopylae Mountains. This was probably the most famous battle of the Greco-Persian war. They managed to slow down the Persians and inflict heavy casualties before they were defeated.

Persia was being ruled by a king named Xerxes in 480 B.C. King Xerxes continued his push deeper into Greece after he had defeated the Allies at Thermopylae. For the next few years, the Persians kept advancing against the Greeks until they were routed by the Athenian, Spartans, and their allies in the battles of Plataea and Mycale. When the allied Greek forces won this battle, it was the turning point of the whole Greco-Persian conflict. After that battle had taken place many Greek city states that had willfully submitted to Persian dominance rebelled. The Greek Allies then went on the offensive and through a series of battles they managed to defeat and drive the Persian armies out of their territory. By 477 B.C. mainland, Greece was free from Persian rule.

The Greeks had managed to decimate pretty much any remaining Persian forces in Greece by 460 B.C., and the Persians had grown tired of the Greeks. Eventually, the Greeks realized that they no longer wanted to stay in a continual state of warfare with the Persians and by 450 B.C. both sides had agreed to peace, and this ended the Greco-Persian War. The Battle of Salamis-in-Cyprus was the last battle that was fought between these two opposing forces. Once Greece gained its independence, they were never conquered by the Persians again.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars
http://greece.mrdonn.org/persianwars.html
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=3356
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/persian_war.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Greek-Persian_duel.jpg