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General Forum >> 2,500 Years Later, Political Lessons From Marathon
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2,500 Years Later, Political Lessons From Marathon |
bat400
Joined:
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from South Central Indiana, US
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|  Posted 20-10-2010 at 03:47
Political article submitted by coldrum --
Thank God that the Spartans never made it to the Battle of Marathon.
Inconveniently for the Greek states left to fend off the 20,000 troops assembled under Darius I, Persian King of Kings, the Spartans were otherwise occupied with a religious celebration. Herodotus tells us of how, after Pheiddippides completed his famous run to Sparta, it "was the ninth day of the month, and on the ninth day they said they would not go forth, not until the circle of the moon should be full." For our purposes, however, it's the unique circumstances of the Spartan recalcitrance that makes dating of the 490 b.c. battle possible -- allowing us to pinpoint September 12 of last week as the most probable date of the 2,500th anniversary of the battle.
On this 2,500th anniversary, Marathon is securely, one would assume, deposited in the dustbin of history. And until Frank Miller gets around to writing a prequel to 300, that's not likely to change. However, the story of Marathon -- as recorded by Herodotus, our primary source for the events of the battle -- still has a great many parallels and lessons that apply to today's sociopolitical world.
1) Whoever happens to be left standing at the end of the day gets the credit.
Who's the hero of Marathon? In Herodotus, the answer is clear: Miltiades. Before the battle, there were two schools of thought within the Athenian military camp: Half of the generals wished to retreat, while the other half, including Miltiades, urged steadfastness. It was Miltiades who swayed the Athenian commander-in-chief, Callimachus, to wage battle, and it was Miltiades who had his reputation enhanced the most by the events of Marathon.
Or, at least, that's the version that has come down through the ages. Perhaps Callimachus, the acting polemarch, would have had a different story to tell -- but he died in the fighting, leaving Miltiades to shape post-battle narrative.
This is the frustrating position many activists and politicians find themselves in today, one that Hillary Clinton acknowledged in her June 2008 concession speech when she described the role of her presidential campaign as failing to shatter the glass ceiling, but leaving "18 million cracks in it." For all the good Clinton accomplished during her campaign, it will be fascinating to see how much credit she eventually receives when a female candidate actually clinches the presidential nomination of a major political party. If the recent past is any indicator, it won't be much -- witness how many well-meaning observers, including then-Delware Senator Joe Biden, managed to, through their praise of candidate Barack Obama, diminish the roles of past trailblazers such as Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson and Colin Powell.
2) Helpers, allies and fellow-travelers tend to be forgotten.
Imagine how the Plataeans feel -- well, would feel -- whenever Marathon is memorialized as a great Athenian victory. Remembered today through a lens of Greek history that stresses the progress of Athenian experiments in democracy, the field of Marathon still to this day includes a burial mound that plays host to the remains of fallen members of the Plataean contingent. Plataeans made up the bulk of the Greek army's left wing, and though the Athenians made sure to recognize their contributions -- for years afterward, Athenians offered sacrifices in order "that blessings may come to the Athenians and Plataeans both" -- posterity has chosen to honor primarily the Athenian aspects of the victory.
There is little question that, in the 2,500 years since Marathon, memories have grown shorter.
None of this should be surprising. If history teaches us anything it is that, though our knowledge base and our capacity for empathy has grown exponentially, human nature remains largely unchanged over even great lengths of time. Similar parallels could undoubtedly have been drawn at the 1,000th, 1,500th and 2,000th anniversary of the battle as well. That's little reason, however, to stop studying these events -- and attempting to learn from them.
For the rest of the article, see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asher-smith/2500-years-later-politica_b_734292.html.
[ This message was edited by: bat400 on 2010-10-20 03:49 ]
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frogcottage42
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from tuosist
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| Posted 20-10-2010 at 08:29
We often assume that history is only written by the winners but I suspect it is as often recorded by those with the best opportunities and sometimes abilities with little regard for accuracy.
When looking back at the late 20th century it is already the world as described by Rupert Murdoch and the like that is most repeated.
Small details like Saddam's actual lack of WMDs and the massive reduction of living standards and life expectancy in post soviet Russia will be hard to spot amongst the ' more important' contenders for news.
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sem
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from Bridgend,S.Wales
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| Posted 20-10-2010 at 21:57
It was a picture in a "Look and Learn Annual" that first got me interested in ancient history. Probably mid-sixties and me about 6. It showed Cygnus attempting to stop a Persian ship leaving the beach of Marathon by holding it's mooring rope with both hands. The caption then went on that after both his hands were cut off he fought to the death with his teeth.
A quick check of Herodotus shows my memory to be totally inaccurate. He was called Cynegirus.
A quick check of my teeth suggests it was only in my youth I could imagine someone fighting with their teeth.
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sem
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from Bridgend,S.Wales
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| Posted 20-10-2010 at 22:08
This is it, I think!
http://www.lookandlearn.com/if?search=cynegirus&cat=01%7EOriginal_artwork&x=40&y=8
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davidmorgan
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from The New Forest
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| Posted 21-10-2010 at 14:55
Reminds me of this - "I'll bite your legs off".
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