A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire, 2 Volume Set. Группа авторов. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Группа авторов
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
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isbn: 9781119071655
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summary, this is why the sources in epichoric languages often constitute a complementary supplement to the standard sources of Achaemenid history. They provide both local confirmation of historical developments and valuable close‐ups of social and cultural history.

      1 Bryce, T.R. (1986). The Lycians in Literary and Epigraphic Sources. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. Provides a useful overview of Lycian history and the relevant epigraphic sources.

      2 Childs, W.A.P. (1981). Lycian relations with Persians and Greeks in the fifth and fourth centuries re‐examined. Anatolian Studies, 31, pp. 55–80. Focuses on the Lycian links with Persians and Greeks.

      3 Keen, A.G. (1998). Dynastic Lycia: A Political History of the Lycians and Their Relations with Foreign Powers, C. 545–362 B.C., Mnemosyne Supplementum; 178. Leiden: Brill. Comprehensively describes the different stages of Lycian politics and history until the end of the dynastic system.

       Reinhold Bichler and Robert Rollinger

      For a very long time, the reconstruction of the history of the Achaemenid‐Persian Empire was mainly based on classical sources. These sources created successful master narratives that primarily focused on the Persian Wars at the beginning of the fifth and on the downfall of the empire at the end of the fourth centuries BCE. Although these sources altogether originate from the western fringes of the empire presenting a biased view on the Greeks' eastern neighbors, our view of the Achaemenid‐Persian Empire is still considerably determined by these sources and their perceptions of the Persians. In the last 35 years a considerable change of perspective took place among specialists, giving way to a much more critical approach in evaluating these sources. Although there is still some disagreement about the adequate place of these sources within a modern history of the Achaemenid‐Persian Empire (Harrison 2011), it can hardly be doubted that they are of inestimable value for any reconstruction of Achaemenid‐Persian history.

      The ethnic groups and cities of the Persian Empire were first systematically treated about the time of the Ionian Revolt in Hecataeus of Miletus' geography (periodos ges), the original of which is lost (FGrH 1). The introductory scene of Aeschylus' Persae, performed in 472 BCE, still starts with a list of warriors and commanders of Xerxes' army. The soldiers had been recruited from all over the empire (1–92) and the fleet counted 1207 ships (341–343), reminiscent of Homer's Iliad. Thus, the victory against these superior forces appeared even more astounding. About two decades before, Phrynichus affected the Athenians with a tragedy that addressed the taking of Miletus by the Persians (Hdt. 6.21). After the Greek victory at Salamis (480 BCE), he also staged the misery of the defeated enemy in his Phoenician Women. But unfortunately, Phrynichus' texts are lost. Simonides' lyrical poetry is at least preserved in fragments. The most important parts refer to an elegy on the battle of Plataea (479 BCE) where the warriors are compared to the heroes of the Trojan War. Obviously, it was prestigious to partake in the glory of the winners of the Persian Wars by telling their story. Thus, in 470 BCE Pindar praised Hieron, city lord of Syracuse, as savior of Hellas' freedom. His victories over Carthaginian, Phoenician, and Etruscan forces in the battle of Himera in Sicily and on sea at Cyme in southern Italy (480 and 474 BCE) were compared to those at Salamis and Plataea (Pythians 1.72–180). A new interpretation of the unexpected success in fending off Xerxes' invasion was given by Aeschylus' Persae. The young and imprudent king is misled by bad advisors. Overestimation of his gigantic forces leads to his defeat. The crossing of the Hellespont and sacrileges exhibit his hubris and bring about disaster (743–752, 807–812). The Athenians had already shown at Marathon (490 BCE) what men of free will were capable of doing against an army led by a despot (cf. 235–244). At Salamis, the freedom of Hellas was at stake (cf. 402–405). Xerxes instead had to fear that the peoples of Asia would no longer be prepared to bow to the Persian rule, pay tribute, and prostrate before the king (584–590) (Boedeker and Singer 2001; Bichler and Rollinger 2002; Föllinger 2009: pp. 53–76; Lenfant 2011).

      Of crucial importance for the further development of the image of the Persians was the prose‐style writing of the last decades of the fifth century BCE. Unfortunately, very little testimonial evidence of the first Persica survives – from Dionysius of Miletus (FGrH 687) to Charon of Lampsacus (FGrH 687b) and Hellanicus of Lesbos (FGrH 687a).

      The same counts for the fragmentary parts of the portrayals of political leaders dealing with Persia by Ion of Chios (FGrH 392) and by Stesimbrotus of Thasos (FGrH 392). A prose treatise which was probably written in the last quarter of the fifth century BCE and is still preserved in the corpus of the Hippocratic writings played a specific role in creating the cliché of despotism in Asia. The unknown author of the treatise on Airs, Waters, Places underlines the role of the environment for the physical and mental condition of the inhabitants of a certain area. According to him, the soft Asian climate played an important role in fostering the despotic reign so typical of the Asian continent, whereas the spirit of freedom that prevailed in Europe was due to the harsher living conditions in this part of the world (Airs, Waters, Places 16; 23). Those who proved to be the bravest among the inhabitants of Asia were the ones who did not happen to live under the rule of a despot but who lived autonomously, no matter whether they were of Hellenic or Barbaric origin (16.5.). Later on, Aristotle changed this schematic view, reinforcing the antithesis between Hellenic and Barbaric tribes (Politica 1327b 23–33; 1285a 19–22) (Jouanna 1996).