Persia's Greek campaigns : kingship, war, and spectacle on the Achaemenid frontier / John O. Hyland.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hyland, John O., 1977- author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Achaemenid dynasty, 559-330 B.C.

Achaemenid dynasty.

Darius I, King of Persia, 548 B.C.-485 B.C.

Darius.

Xerxes I, King of Persia, 519 B.C.-465 B.C. or 464 B.C.

Xerxes.

Iran--History, Military--To 1500.

Iran.

Greece--History--Persian Wars, 500-449 B.C.

Greece.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (774 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2025]

Summary:

The wars between the Achaemenid Persian kings & the Greek city-states (c. 499-449 BCE), especially Xerxes' invasion of Greece (480-479 BCE), are often remembered as foundational events in Greek history, & therefore, we often hear about them through Greek accounts. While the Persians left no campaign narratives, their documents, artwork, & artifacts offer the foundations for an illuminating reassessment of these pivotal conflicts. Using seals & documents from Achaemenid Persepolis, as well as comparative evidence from Persia's Mesopotamian imperial predecessors, this book shows that these conflicts did not emerge from policies of infinite expansion or iterations of 'East vs. West' struggle. Instead, the Persians drew on a long tradition of Near Eastern royal campaigns, in which kings travelled to distant frontiers to advertise their heroism, divine favour, & universal power.

Contents:

Cover

Persia's Greek Campaigns : Kingship, War, and Spectacle on the Achaemenid Frontier

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgments

Note on Translation, Names, and Dates

List of Maps

List of Images

Abbreviations

Introduction

The Near Eastern Roots of Persian Imperialism

Kings of This Great Earth: Mental Maps and Royal Performance

The View from Persepolis: Administration, Logistics, and Warfare

Reassessing Persia's Greek Campaigns

1: Ancient Near Eastern Warfare and the Royal Campaign Tradition

The Parameters of Ancient Near Eastern Warfare

Expanding Empires and the Patterns of Royal Campaigns

The Spectacles of the Royal Campaign

Spectacles of Universal Rule

Spectacles of Imperial Cohesion

Spectacles of Manpower and Logistics

Spectacles of Military Victory and Divine Approval

Spectacles of Triumphant Return

The Risks of Royal Campaigns and the Politics of Delegation

2: Darius's Pax Persica and the Aegean Frontier

Darius's Frontier Campaigns and the Performance of World Rule

Ruling the World from Its Center: Darius in the Heartland

The Satrapal System and Artaphernes's Sardis

The Sardis Satrap, Ionian City Rulers, and Frontier Profits

Labor Extraction and Low-Intensity Warfare

The Naxos Campaign and the Seeds of Rebellion

3: Darius's Generals and the Ionian Revolt

Imperial Responses to Revolt: Precedents and Challenges

The Ionian Raid on Sardis

Daurises's Attempted Reconquest

Coordinating Maritime Conquest: The Cyprus Campaign

Fleets, Messengers, and the Assault on Miletos

4: Restoring the Aegean Frontier

Rebuilding after Revolts: The Assyrian Precedents

Rehabilitating Persian Ionia

Restoring the Overseas Outposts: Mardonios's Campaign of 492

Projecting Force Beyond the Sea: The Aegean Campaign of 490.

The Aegean Frontier After Marathon

5: Xerxes's Greek Campaign as Political Spectacle

Egypt, Babylon, and Xerxes's First Campaign

The Origins of Xerxes's Greek Campaign

Preparing the Way of the King

The Sacral King, Divine Favor, and Ritual Performance

The Royal Family on Tour

The Conclave of Client Kings

6: Xerxes's Greek Campaign as Manpower Spectacle

Mobilizing Xerxes's Forces: The Royal Army and Provincial Conscription

Estimating Xerxes's Numbers: The Army and Traveling Court

Estimating Xerxes's Numbers: The Fleet and Its Supporting Convoys

Feeding Xerxes's Forces: Consumption Requirements

Accommodating Xerxes's Forces: Spatial Requirements and Road Usage

Displaying Xerxes's Forces: Reviews and Parades

7: Xerxes's Greek Campaign as Logistical Performance

Going Forth Far from Persia: Distance, Movement, and Coordination

Marching to Sardis and Sailing to the Aegean

Crossing the North Aegean Frontier

Advancing Beyond Olympos

Storms and Battles: Overcoming Logistical Disruption

Ravaging Phokis and Occupying Athens

8: Xerxes's Greek Campaign as Heroic Journey

The Royal Hero and the Conquest of Nature

Royal Charisma, Foreign Submission, and the Advance to Battle

Displaying Enemy Defeat: Victory Spectacle at Thermopylai

Punishing Enemy Populations: Fire, Plunder, and Sexual Violence

Seizing the Enemy City: Performative Conquest at Athens's Acropolis

9: Xerxes's Royal Image and the Causes of Failure at Salamis

Naval Spectacle and Xerxes's Decision for Battle

Xerxes's Triremes and Their Capabilities

From Artemision to Salamis: Tactics, Topography, and Causes of Defeat

Ship Losses and Casualties

The Spectacle of Xerxes's Defeat

10: Xerxes's Greece and Mardonios's Campaign

The King in Eclipse? Xerxes's Return to Sardis.

Mardonios's Appointment to Command

The Aegean Frontier and Xerxes's Greek Subjects

Mardonios's Embassies and the Reconquest of Athens

Pausanias's Offensive and Mardonios's Campaign in Boiotia

11: Plataia and the Anatomy of Defeat

Mardonios's Advance to Battle

Like Naked Men Against Hoplites? Persian Defensive Equipment

A Spear Too Far? Persian Archery and Close Combat

Reconstructing Mardonios's Final Battle

Casualties, Camp Loss, and Artabazos's Retreat

12: The Aftermath of Xerxes's Campaign

New Defeats, Triumphal Efforts, and the Royal Return

Xerxes's Campaign Losses and Their Imperial Impact

Images of Victory and Xerxes's Later Reign

Aegean Frontier Turmoil and the Problem of Naval Power

Artaxerxes and the Return to Delegated Victory

The Royal Image and Pragmatic Diplomacy

Epilogue

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource and publisher information; title from PDF title page (viewed on September 23, 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-766049-5

0-19-766051-7

0-19-766050-9

9780197660508

OCLC:

1538579979