Themistocles

        Today in class we continued watching the video on Greece. We learned a lot about Themistocles today. We learned that he wasn’t brought up as an aristocrat. No music, art, or proper education. He was just a regular, random guy. However, since Athens had adopted a democratic government, any random male could be elected. Themistocles had learned many leadership skills and was very good at figuring out war strategies. The Persians were threatening to attack again and they were determined to make a comeback. Panic began to erupt, and soon havoc reigned over the Greece. Should they flee the country? Should they fight back? Should they attack the Persians before they even got to them? Nobody knew what to do. People turned to the all-knowing oracle, Delphi, to try to get answers. After a negative reading, even more people were panicking. However, Themistocles remained calm. He had devised a plan to trick the Persians into battling at Sea. He had a navy formed and had hundreds of triremes built. His master plan ended up working, and once again, Greece was the reigning champion. However, the Athenians felt that he was getting “too big for his boots” and ended up voting him off the island, or ostracizing him. Themistocles had died in 462 in Persia, the very country that had given him power.