Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

But in order to make that a proper story and something that would work for him in terms of motivating his troops, he hid most of his own dead. So supposedly he left 1,000 Persian dead as a credible figure and then hid the other 19,000 in a mass grave. We can imagine that this is true. This is something that Xerxes wants to do.

Or we can imagine that Herodotus got this story from the Ionians in the fleet who came to see this.

Or we can imagine that Herodotus got this story from the Ionians in the fleet who came to see this.

Or we can imagine that Herodotus got this story from the Ionians in the fleet who came to see this.

And that they only saw 1,000 Persian dead because there were only 1,000 Persian dead against 4,000 Greek dead, right?

And that they only saw 1,000 Persian dead because there were only 1,000 Persian dead against 4,000 Greek dead, right?

And that they only saw 1,000 Persian dead because there were only 1,000 Persian dead against 4,000 Greek dead, right?

It's not a wood chipper, right? It's not like you can just keep feeding things into it. I mean, if you take some losses at the front line, you're going to pull back and reassess. And especially the Persians, whose initial move in a battle is always to use missiles first and to see if they can soften up the enemy to break them easily.

It's not a wood chipper, right? It's not like you can just keep feeding things into it. I mean, if you take some losses at the front line, you're going to pull back and reassess. And especially the Persians, whose initial move in a battle is always to use missiles first and to see if they can soften up the enemy to break them easily.

It's not a wood chipper, right? It's not like you can just keep feeding things into it. I mean, if you take some losses at the front line, you're going to pull back and reassess. And especially the Persians, whose initial move in a battle is always to use missiles first and to see if they can soften up the enemy to break them easily.

That's right. So what's happened to them? You know, what's happened to the arrows? And obviously arrows have been found in significant numbers on the battle site, the Kolonos Hill at Thermopylae, although many of them actually don't date to the Persian Wars, but they do have them on display in the museum in Athens. I mean, archers would have been a very significant asset to the Persians in this.

That's right. So what's happened to them? You know, what's happened to the arrows? And obviously arrows have been found in significant numbers on the battle site, the Kolonos Hill at Thermopylae, although many of them actually don't date to the Persian Wars, but they do have them on display in the museum in Athens. I mean, archers would have been a very significant asset to the Persians in this.

That's right. So what's happened to them? You know, what's happened to the arrows? And obviously arrows have been found in significant numbers on the battle site, the Kolonos Hill at Thermopylae, although many of them actually don't date to the Persian Wars, but they do have them on display in the museum in Athens. I mean, archers would have been a very significant asset to the Persians in this.

So we mustn't imagine them just sort of rushing into close combat to their deaths in huge droves.

So we mustn't imagine them just sort of rushing into close combat to their deaths in huge droves.

So we mustn't imagine them just sort of rushing into close combat to their deaths in huge droves.

Yeah, absolutely. But I mean, more than that, I think a lot of Greeks recognize that the Persians had a lot to offer them, you know, in terms of employment, in terms of rewards, there was absolutely an understanding. If you did the king a solid, then he would repay you in kind.

Yeah, absolutely. But I mean, more than that, I think a lot of Greeks recognize that the Persians had a lot to offer them, you know, in terms of employment, in terms of rewards, there was absolutely an understanding. If you did the king a solid, then he would repay you in kind.

Yeah, absolutely. But I mean, more than that, I think a lot of Greeks recognize that the Persians had a lot to offer them, you know, in terms of employment, in terms of rewards, there was absolutely an understanding. If you did the king a solid, then he would repay you in kind.

And that's something that, you know, is very much propagated by the Persians themselves, their generosity, their reciprocity, their understanding that, you know, good deeds earn rewards and bad deeds earn punishment.