The Persian Wars and and the Rise of the Athenian Empire

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The Persian Wars and the rise of the Athenian Empire
The Persian Wars and the rise of the Athenian Empire
Year 12 Ancient History Multi Modal Semester Three, 2012
Sarah MacKenzie Year 12 Ancient History Multi Modal Semester Three, 2012
Sarah MacKenzie

The sixth Century BCE was characterized by an expanding Persian Empire surrounded by otherwise localised and isolated centres of power. Although a fear of a Persian invasion had the power to unite the disparate Greek city-states, the Persian Wars ironically resulted in an Athenian hegemony that was remarkably similar to the initial threat. The danger to Greek autonomy posed by Persian expansionism, was influential in establishing a consolidated, albeit temporary, Greek power in both policy and practice. Through such an association, the Greek city-states were able to withstand and eventually defeat the Persian menace. The consequential rise of the Athenian Empire, however, was simultaneous with the development of its increasingly autocratic and aggressive attitude. The aftermath of this conflict therefore involved the Athenian worldview coming to resemble that which it had initially sought to repress.

The Persian Wars are demonstrative of how external threats can promote unity and cohesion from within. The ease and aggression with which the Persians conquered the region of the Asia Minor during the sixth century BCE established them as the pre-eminent power in the ancient world, and therefore a threat to Greek autonomy. After King Cyrus of Persia overthrew the Median rulers in 550 BCE, the Persians successfully extended their realm in conquering Lydia (546 BCE), eventually pushing their boarders further eastward by crossing to the boarders of Macedonia in 513 BCE (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2012). The defending Greek city-states were not united in their political systems,