Themistocles (
Greek Teµ?st?????; c.
524–
459 BC[1]) was an
Athenian soldier and statesman. As
archon in
493 BC, he convinced the Athenians that a powerful fleet was needed to protect them against the Persians. During the second
Persian invasion under
Xerxes I, he commanded the Athenian squadron and through his strategy the Greeks won the
Battle of Salamis in
480 BC. After the war, he persuaded the Athenians to rebuild the walls of the city on a vastly larger scale than had existed before. This aroused uneasiness in
Sparta. So the Spartan faction in Athens tried to undermine him and in
470 BC he was
ostracised. He moved to
Argos, but the Spartans forced his expulsion from there in
467 BC. He eventually travelled to Persia where the king
Artaxerxes I made him governor of
Magnesia where he spent the rest of his life. He was a man of grand plans whose patriotism later became confused with his own advancement. He was convinced that only he could realise the dream of a great Athenian empire.
Themistocles was the son of Neocles, an Athenian of no distinction and moderate means, his mother being a Carian or a Thracian, Abrotonum by some accounts.[2] Little is known of his early years, but many authors resort to the myth that he was unruly as a child and was consequently disowned by his father (e.g. Libanius Declamations 9 and 10; Aelian; Cornelius Nepos "Themistocles"). He may have been strategos of his tribe at Marathon and it is said that he was jealous of the victories of Miltiades, repeating to himself, "Miltiades' trophy does not let me sleep" (in Greek ??? ?? µe ?a?e?de?? t? t?? ???t??d?? t??pa???).
The death of Miltiades, the hero of Marathon, left a political void filled by Themistocles and Aristides "the Just", with whom he had previously competed over the love of a boy. As Plutarch recounts, "... they were rivals for the affection of the beautiful Stesilaus of Ceos, and were passionate beyond all moderation."[3]
Themistocles prevailed in 483 BC–482 BC by arranging the ostracism of Aristides. Themistocles advocated a policy of naval expansion while Aristides represented the interests of the "hoplite" or traditional land-based military establishment. Athens' traditional enemy, Aegina, had a powerful navy while the danger of a renewed Persian invasion was well known. The Persians had recently subjugated the Ionian Greeks who were known for developing a new three level warship known as the "Trireme" which was destined to change naval warfare for years to come. Themistocles successfully persuaded the Athenian Assembly to build an additional 100 or 200 Triremes and to continue his work of fortifying the harbours of Piraeus largely facilitated by a fortuitous newly-discovered rich vein of silver at Laureion.
