Historical quiz time...

Okay, I like history so I will glean from my dusty knowledge, and dustier books and find tidbits to throw at you. The winner gets a cookie. (I still owe Demie and Alacian a cookie from the last time)

1. who picked up a rock with two hands, threw it to the ground and said...

Quote :

With this pebble I give my vote not to run away
from the strangers

?

2. And what was the who, what, why and how of the situation at the time that he did it?

Konradr

konradr wrote:

Okay, I like history so I will glean from my dusty knowledge, and dustier books and find tidbits to throw at you. The winner gets a cookie. (I still owe Demie and Alacian a cookie from the last time)

1. who picked up a rock with two hands, threw it to the ground and said...

Quote :

With this pebble I give my vote not to run away
from the strangers

?

2. And what was the who, what, why and how of the situation at the time that he did it?

Konradr

-googled it- Its interesting. I won't spoil it for someone who might genuinely know the answer.

What? No takers? Googling's fine Phoxly. I will try to make more quizzes with a little less info that can be used for a keyword in easy googling.

ANSWER:

The man's name was Amompharetos (say that three times real fast), he was a Spartan regimental (Lochos in Ancient Greek) officer. In Ancient Greece, when they had an assembly, be it civil or military, the men voted with pebbles. Amompharetos was pissed that he hadn't been at the vote when the officers of the Greek army at Platea decided they needed to withdraw. He felt it was disgraceful for Spartan's to retreat from the enemy when they hadn't even fought them yet.

The Who, What, Why and How.

Everyone knows of the battle of Thermopylae (The 300, We are Sparta, yattata). The Persians pushed on from Thermoplyae and headed for Athens. The Athenians evacuated the entire citizenry from the city to the island of Salamis. The Persian fleet entered the straits of Salamis and were destroyed by the Athenian and allied Greek fleet. Athens was taken and pillaged by the Persians.

With the loss of his fleet, Xerxes, the King of Persia, decided to withdraw the major part of his army back to Asia Minor. He left 300,000 men +/- under the command of Mardonios, his son-in-law, to rule the parts of Greece that had already surrendered or submitted to Persia.

The next year, the Allied Greek city states, led by Sparta, moved into Boetia. The Persians holed up in camp in a large open valley. This valley was ideal terrain for Cavalry which the Persian's had an abundance of and which were some of their best troops. The Greeks had no or very little cavalry since most Greek cavalry came from thessaly or macedonia, both areas of which were controlled by the Persians. The Greeks made camp on a hilly area to the South.

The two armies stayed that way for 12 days. Both raiding eachother, but it was the Persians with their superior cavalry that were getting the upper hand in these raiding activities. They soon plugged up the stream that was the Greek's only supply of water and were interdicting the only route from the south that brought up supplies and reenforcements for the Greeks.

Thus the Greek army was in a hard spot. They could no longer stay there. The battle wise Spartan's who were given overall command of the Army under one Pausanias, did not want to attack into the Persian's strength, that is the clear open ground that was ideal for cavalry charges. So they voted and decided to move south and establish another camp in better terrain. The move was to take place at night so the Persian's did not know.

Night came and the Greek contingents began moving out. The Spartan's and Athenians were to be the last. Amompharetos was not at the vote and when he saw the Greeks moving off, he was disgusted. He refused to lead his regiment into a retreat, as he called it. It was against Spartan law to retreat from an enemy without even a fight, especially an enemy of Strangers (Meaning Barbarians or foreigners)

He and Pausianas argued all night. The Athenians asked should they stay with the spartans or go. Pausianas said go. The Athenians started to move. Pausianas ordered the Spartans to withdraw, but Amompharetos still refused. By now it was dawn and the movement was visible to the Persians.

Pausianas led his men away through the hills, but they did not completely abandon Amompharetos. They marched until out of sight, then halted. They waited to see if Amompharetos would follow them or if not, and if they were attacked, the Spartans would go to their comrades aid. Amompharetos relented and ordered his men to withdraw.

Pausianas and his Spartans, being battle wise, retreated along the harder, rocky route through the hills. The Athenians, being citizen soldiers, took the easier path, along the valley. The Persian General, Mardonios, saw this and assumed the Greeks were retreating and led his cavalry into a hasty attack on the Athenians in the valley. The Spartans came to their aid and in the ensuing fight, Mardonios was killed and the Cavalry routed. The rest of the Greek army came back and they all attacked the Persian camp and slaughtered those who did not flee.

Anyone interested in a more in depth, day to day account, read this article:

http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/ancient/plataea/default.aspx

Konradr

This one may be too easy. especially for you google fanatics.

A) Gi Joe was the common term for any american soldier in WWII/Korea. Landser, likewise was the common term for German soldiers of both WWI and WWII.

What was the common term for Roman Soldiers???

B) What was the title for Plautus play of the Braggart Soldier?

Konradr

Who was named "lit" and how did he become immortal after getting kicked in the Butt?????

Konradr

I know roman units were called legions, but I don't know if that is the correct answer. Unfortunately, this isn't a mythology quiz or else I could answer you more efficiently

marius' mules can't find the mythology thing tho

It is a mythological question. Mythology is as much history to a culture as their actual history. People lived their lifes and conducted their actions throughout history by what they believed. So try again strider, and reach into your mythological knowledge for the answer.

That and the fact I was too lazy to start another seperate topic.

Konradr

The braggart soldier was originally called Miles Gloriosus, first performance c.205BC in rome, first translated into english in 1852.


google is a marvelous thing

Cant find anything about someone being made immortal after being kicked in the butt tho...

You're right on the play name, Miles gloriosus.

Lit was a dwarf. When Thor was going to set fire to the ship that was going to burn the body of his dead brother, Baldur, the sun god who was killed via a trick of Loki's. When Thor set the ship on fire, Lit somehow got in the way and Thor kicked him into the fire. apparantly burning with a god made him immortal at least in legend if not reality.

Konradr