Hamilton

Hamilton Hamilton Link: [|Phoenician Warships] Phoenicians had the best ships of their time period. They also made much advancement to marine science, like putting 360 degrees in a circle and using reference points in the stars to navigate. Their war ships were feared all across the seas. Their ships had five rowers to an oar, making their ships very fast. Their ships were revolutionary because they built their hulls so that they could fit several layers of rowers into them. Their war ships had two banks of oars to propel them through the water. The oars could also be used as battering rams, making this ships the most deadly on the seas. Their ships had very little armor, making them fast and very deadly. Some of them could reach above seven knots. The Phoenicians also introduced the bireme, the ship that would quickly become the most widely used ship in Europe during this time period.

Links: [|Battle of Thermopylae]; http://www.geocities.com/the_temple_of_ares/300spartans.html; http://www.historynet.com/greco-persian-wars-battle-of-thermopylae.htm/3, also pages 4 and 5.

Thermopylae was the narrow pass that the Greeks fended off the Persian army for several days, hugely outnumbered by their force. The Greeks numbered about 1,000, with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians. The rest of the Greek force retreated to get a greater army together. The Persians numbered in the millions. Xerxes, leader of the Persians, expected the Greeks to retreat when he gave his warning, but he waited for four days and none of them left. he then sent the Medes and the Cissians to fight, with orders to take the Greeks alive. They expected an easy fight, and the Greek warriors broke ranks and ran, only to turn around in the narrowest part of the path and fight. The Medes and Cissians were repelled easily. Xerxes saw this would be no easy victory, and sent in his best troops, the Immortals. Not even they could break the Greeks ranks. unfortunately, a traitor named Ephialtes, told Xerxes of a Goat path he could use to surround the spartans by getting behind them. The Greeks became overcome by the Persians force, and fought until their weapons broke with their backs against the wall. They accomplished their goal, however, and greatly slowed the persian assault. The Greeks lost about 1,000 men, and nearly 20,000 Persian bodies littered the ground.

According to http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/weaponswar/p/blpwtherm.htm, The Immortals actually did break the Spartan Ranks and eventually defeated them while the Greeks escaped.

From, Dayton :p

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae#Size_and_composition_of_the_Persian_army The size of the amasses Greek force was around 6,500.

Creation of the Olympics: [|olympics] The Athenians are were one of the nations that participated in the games that are now known as the Olympics. They were first started in 776B.C.. Some claim that Zeus was the creator. The games beginnings started as a single footrace beside a river, but as time wore on more events were added. They are called the Olympics because they honored the god Zeus Olympios, rumored to be the creator of the games. Events like the pentathlon, discus throwing, and chariot races were soon added. Women were only allowed to participate in the games if they owned a horse in the races; the owner was considered the winner. The winners of the games were not awarded money - the fame that was attached to their name was their prize. Shown below is a discus thrower portrayed by the Athenian sculptor Myron, and is one of the most widely copied statue of the Athenians. The competitors name has been lost to time, but his image will forever be immortalized in museams.

FAGreekLife » Hamilton

[|Slavery in Ancient Greece] Slavery was an important part in Greek civilization. There are many ways one could become a slave in ancient Greece. When a town was sacked and taken over, many women would be taken as slaves. [|Female slaves] were often given domestic tasks to complete, as men were thought to be superior in most ways. Often times, though slavery was bad in Greece, they were [|better off] than in other places. Slaves were very [|necessary]to ancient Greece, there may have been more slaves than free people in Ancient Greece. Children were often sold into slavery, usually the daughters because the sons could work and earn families a living. Slaves in Ancient Greece were treated differently depending on their jobs. Domestic slaves might even eventually become like a part of the family, allowed to take part in rituals like sacrifices to the gods.