Herodotus Failing Empires

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The Persian Empire was defined by war and took pride in legacy and profits, which is not always favorable. Around the year of 370, Herodotus wrote a book called The Histories, which showed how the Persian government shared many characteristics of being an Empire. The Persian government was an enormous empire, but not always a very strategic or envied one, especially when compared to the Mycenaean Empire. The many reasons for the failing empire include poor functioning, corrupted rulers, and flawed logic. Throughout Herodotus, many reoccurring themes of failing battle strategies arise. For example, the Persians have a mass amount of soldiers, about 5,283,220, but most of those soldiers were not trained or elite (Herodotus, X11, 481). Instead, …show more content…
Along with the soldiers came their family, servants, animals, and crews who followed the army as well. Having a large mass amount of people can lead to some major issues. Diseases, food/water shortages, and camouflaging into the environment were all burdens that followed the Persian army. With having so many soldiers who have not had proper training, gives the Greeks, who have smaller numbers but are exceptionally trained, an opportunity to slaughter thousands of people. When soldiers are not well trained, the tactics used are also not ideal or correct for battle. The Persians had hundreds of naval ships and naval warfare but seemed to be losing many battles, as their scattered plans did not work at uniting their army as one. The Persians have the supplies, technology, and money, but lack the intelligence, which was a major downfall for the empire. Without successful tactics, the number of soldiers means nothing. An example where the Persians were outsmarted exists at the Battle of Marathon, which was a hard and long fought battle. The Battle of Marathon took a toll on both the numbers of the Persians and the Greeks, but …show more content…
The Mycenaean empire consisted more of a confederacy and took a democratic stance. The people there are given more freedom with speech, laws, and ways of life. With more freedom, more chaos also followed. The Greeks contain more of a united chaos though, and act as a dysfunctional family at times. As a “family,” they work together as a whole to maintain their integrity and belief in themselves. On the battlefield, the Mycenaean Empire acts on more tactical and smarter plans than the Persians do because the Persians have scattered battle plans. Even though the Greeks have about 4 times less a number of soldiers than the Persians, they are overall more fickle, clever, and successful. The Greeks understand the idea of quality over quantity, and almost all of their soldiers are highly trained and elite killers. Their strengths are amplified out on the sea, as they are highly trained in efficiently rowing and naval battle methods. Once again, they have a meniscal amount of ships compared to the Persians, but with their elite approaches to battle, they have a fair chance to win against the Persians, and they do end up succeeding. Overall, the Persian and Mycenaean Empires differed in countless aspects, many of these aspects contributed to the fact that one empire succeeded, and the other
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