Are the Greeks Perfect?

Are the Greeks Perfect?

When other countries were discussed, mainly their technological advances, Herodotus clearly displayed his belief that Greece was the ultimate standard of perfection. Having been born in Halicarnassus of Asia Minor, a Greek settlement, Herodotus inherited the natural patriotism for his home country. His way of exalting Greece was by describing other countries as very much inferior to Greece. The readers must understand that the reason Herodotus is recording history and not some Persian historian is because the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Persian War. Also, the readers must acknowledge that the speeches contained in Herodotus's account of the Persian War have all been written by Herodotus himself. So, many times the speeches would be written to express what Herodotus would have said. Another result of Herodotus having made up the speeches is that they would exalt Greece.

In Herodotus's accounts of the Persian War, he displayed his belief that the Greeks are the ultimate standard of excellence by discussing issues such as technology, strategy, motivation, government and he also addresses the different mindsets of the leaders in both the Persian and Greek armies. He describes both their ways of reasoning and their manner of coming to decisions.

Only once or twice does Herodotus use the issue of technology to prove the Greek's perfection. One of these times is during the Battle of Thermopylae.

"...the two armies fighting in a narrow space, and the barbarians using shorter spears than the Greeks, and having no advantage from their numbers..."

Even though the Persians are much more wealthy than the Greeks, they are less advanced. The Greeks have longer spears and Herodotus uses this to show his belief that the Greeks are one step ahead of all the other armies and countries in the world.

Having longer spears benefits the Greeks in their use of strategy. During this battle, the readers get the impression that the Greek's tactics are far better than the Persian's. Herodotus's words are:

"The Lacedaemonians fought in a way worthy of note, and showed

themselves far more skillful in fighting than their adversaries, often turning their backs and making as though they were all flying away, on which the barbarians would rush after them with much noise and shouting,

when the Spartans at their approach would wheel round and face their

pursuers, in this way destroying vast numbers of the enemy."

The Persians assumed that the Greeks were retreating and charged after them. Too late did they find out that it was a trick. Before they knew it, the Greeks were turning around and stabbing them through the middle. The Greeks won this battle because of two factors: greater technology and greater strategy. Herodotus unmistakably demonstrated these two things to exalt his home country, Greece.

While the Battle of Thermopylae was taking place, another part of the Persian army was engulfed in a naval struggle with the Greeks. During The Battle of Artemisium, the hint was also given here that the Persian's strategy was far inferior to that of the Greeks. Earlier on in the battle, the readers see that "Xerxes (army) injured itself by its own greatness, the vessels falling into disorder and oftimes running foul of one another..." The Persians, so full in number, were damaging their own ships and causing total chaos among themselves.

After these two battles were completed and the Persian army had regrouped, there was yet another sea encounter. This one was called the Battle of Salamis. Again, Herodotus stated the fact that the Persians strategy did not prove to be nearly as successful as the Greeks. Here is a quote that described the behavior of the Persians at this specific conflict:

For as the Greeks fought in order and kept their line, while the barbarians were in confusion and had no plan in anything that they did, the issue of the battle could scarce be other than it was.

Throughout Herodotus's descriptions of the separate battles that took place, he used the two issues of technology and strategy to prove Greek's advances. They had more technological advances and their strategy was far superior to the Persians. This factor was seen throughout Herodotus's descriptions of the fighting that were taking place.

The motivation for fighting or personal liberty in a sense is very closely related to the issues dealing with government. But when discussing the different motivations that were described by Herodotus, the reader must take into account that this account was written to an Athenian audience and not Persian. The Persians