Herodotus Book 9 Summary
Mardonios, the general of the invading Persian army, marched toward Athens after the Athenians refused to surrender. The Thebans advised him to bribe the Greek leaders and divide the Greeks but he refused. He led his army to occupy the deserted Athens to impress Xerxes with beacons. Mardonios offered the same terms as before, and when a man named Lykidas showed reception to the offer, the Athenians stoned him to death. Meanwhile, the Athenians sent envoys to the Spartans to ask for help, proclaiming that they were faithful to the Greeks despite the Persian offer. The Spartans, however, delayed their assistance in order to fortify the Isthmus. To pressure the Spartans, the Athenians threatened to ally with the Persians but were glad to find out the Spartans had already responded after realizing that the Isthmus would be useless if Athens defects. The Argives warned Mardonios that they could not stop the advancing Spartans, so Mardonios burned Athens and left, establishing a base in Thebes. In a banquet in Thebes, a Persian told a Greek that the Persian army was destined to be destroyed soon, and Herodotus viewed this as a divine sign.
Mardonios rounded up the Phocian hoplites, who were compelled to medize, and threatened to kill them, while the Phocians prepared to defend themselves. Mardonios drew back his men and praised the Phocians for their courage. The Spartans and the Athenians joined forces but were harassed by Persian cavalry. The Megarians were pressed by the Persians but were relieved by 300 Athenian volunteers. The Athenians bravely held their position and killed Masistios, a Persian general. The Persians charged to retrieve his body but were chased away by allies. The Persians mourned the death of their general while the victorious Greeks moved to Plataea, where water was plentiful.
The Tegeans and the Athenians argued about who should take the honorable left wing but the Greeks awarded the Athenians this position. According to Herodotus, the Greeks numbered 110000 while the Persians were 300000 strong. In the battle, 50000 Greeks faced the Persians. Both sides remained inactive as omens did not prove favorable but the Persians, aided by Thebans, successfully raided the Greeks. Mardonios was advised to bribe the Greek leaders and disband them but he chose to go to battle. Alexandros of Macedon informed the Greeks of the coming attack and pleaded to have Macedon liberated from the Persians too. Pausanias switched the battle line with the Athenians so that both could face a familiar enemy but the Persians also switched, challenging the Spartans. The Persians blocked the Greeks from getting water and chased the Greeks, who were repositioning. Spartans lost heavily to Persian archers but as soon as omens were favorable, the Tegeans and the Spartans charged. Although the Persians lacked armor, they fought bravely and earned praise from Herodotus. The Greeks allied with the Persians fought badly on purpose but the Thebans fought bravely. The Persians were routed and slaughtered, and a discussion of the bravest man followed. Pausanias refused to mutilate Mardonios’ body to avenge Leonidas, and the Greeks gathered up spoils.
The Athenians besieged Thebes and executed its leaders. On the same day as the Battle of Plataea, the Battle of Mycale happened. The Greeks encouraged the Ionians to betray the Persians, and the news of the victory at Plataea reached Mycale in one day and affected the outcome. The Athenians, Spartans, and Ionians routed the Persians together. Athenians convinced the Spartans to let the Greeks in Ionia remain.
In Sardis, Xerxes arranged a marriage for his son in order to woo Masistes’s wife but took his son’s wife, Masistes’ daughter, for himself. Artayktes, a Persian viceroy, defiled a Greek shrine and was besieged by the Athenians. he was executed despite offering bribes to the Athenians. Herodotus ended his book with the comment of Cyrus, who said that the Persians became softer men after moving into a more abundant land.
In this book, Herodotus employed his storytelling techniques to paint a vivid picture of the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians. He exaggerated the number of the armies and gave a more detailed description of the techniques in the battle. However, Herodotus used some broad reasons to explain the outcomes, making him less convincing. For example, he said that the Persians did not have armor and thus lost to the Greeks, which is a trope in the Herodotean dialogue. Herodotus also told many anecdotes in order to portray the difference between the Greeks and the Persians, and between the honorable and the deplorable. Pausanias did not mutilate Mardonios’ body, unlike Xerxes, who put Leonidas’ head on a pike. The Spartans and the Athenians fought valiantly for the liberation of the Greeks while the Thebans fought against their own people for the Persians. Herodotus did not denounce anyone as dishonorable but used these contrasts to reflect the Greeks’ valor and the inevitability of their victory. Herodotus also ended his book with much thought. The Battle of Mycale involved the Ionians, who were enslaved by the Persians a long time ago and experienced a failed revolt earlier. As a Greek from Ionia, Herodotus saw the Battle of Mycale as the breaking of the Persian yoke, and this battle sealed the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians, ending in a resounding Greek victory. He also described Xerxes’ immoral actions at the end of the book to portray him as an effeminate tyrant. Citing Cyrus’ comment as the conclusion, Herodotus criticized Xerxes for his weakness and viewed the defeat of the Persians as an inevitable result of their loss of morals.
