Explorers of the Ancient World

This is an interesting map depicting the routes followed by the most renowned explorers of the Ancient World.

Phoenician, Greek, Punic, Egyptian, Persian and other ‘pathfinders’ or

Constructional plan of Persepolis’ palaces area

A constructional plan of Persepolis’ palaces area. Persepolis was one of the four capital cities of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.
Also a modern restoration of a

Post-Hittite “Little empires” in Asia Minor: Phrygia and Lydia

These are some political maps of the Phrygian and Lydian kingdoms at their greatest extent in the 8^th and 6^th centuries BC respectively. These two kdms were a kind of “Little empires” of the Anatolian Iron Age that appeared some centuries after the fall of the main Bronze Age empire of Asia Minor that is the Hittite Empire (the last map). The Phrygians were actually invaders from the Balkan Peninsula, kinsmen of the Thracians, the Greeks and possibly the Homeric Trojans. In the Balkans they were known as ‘Brygae’. They were actually a group of tribes, one of which was probably the Proto-Armenians. The main body of the Phrygians settled in an area that included the old Hittite heartland. Gordion and Midas city were their capital cities, and their main sanctuary was at Pessinus.

THE PRO-PERSIAN ROLE OF THEBES & BOEOTIA IN THE PERSIAN WARS: MYTH AND REALITY

By  Periklis    Deligiannis

Ancient Boeotia  and  its  city-states.

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Many  modern  scholars  and  historians  (with  prominent  the  Canadian  historian  Back)  believe  that  the  pro-Persian  policy  (calling  “medizing”  in  ancient  Greece) of  Thebes  and  most  cities  of  the  rest  of  Boeotia  during  the  2^nd  Persian  war  (480-479  BC),  was  not  as  extensive  as  the  ancient  historian  Herodotus (the  main  source  for  the  Greek-Persian  wars)  tried  to  indicate.  It  is  evident  from  the  writings  of  Herodotus,  that  he  discriminated  in  favor  of  Athens  and  Sparta  (and  against  their  rival  city-states  of  Thebes,  Argos  etc.).  It  is  recognized  that  the  pro-Persian  policy  of  Macedonia,  Thessaly  and  Argos  (other  Greek  states  also  “blamed”  for  “medizing”  at  the  same  time)  was  not  really  extensive.  The  Boeotian  city-states  (mainly  Thebes)  bear  the  “burden”  of  the  blame  of  “medizing” , because  of  Herodotus. The  ancient  historian  probably  distorted  the  historical  truth  by  noting  inordinately   their  pro-Persian  policy,  which  was  not  more  intense  than  that  of  the  aforementioned  states.  It  is  true  that  the  Thebans  and  the  Boeotians  desired  a  Persian  victory,  only  because  of  their  hostility  to  their  neighboring  Athenians.  So  they  possibly  did  not  join  the  Greek  Alliance,  because  its  leaders  were  the  city-states  of  Athens  and  Sparta.  Argos  did  the  same  because  of  its  hostility  to  Sparta.

A  beautiful  original  Boeotian  helmet.  This  type  was  originally  used  by  the  Boeotian  infantry  and  cavalry,  but  later  it  became  popular  to  all  the  Greek  cavalrymen  ( comitatus.net).