. History of Greece for High Schools and Academies . here were hundreds of Athe-nians as just and as honest as either of their leaders. On the motion of Themistocles, the council and the as-sembly then decreed that the revenues from the minesshould be used for building triremes. Their immediatemotive was the war which they were still waging, without suc-cess, against ^Egina; but Themistocles foresaw the dangerstill to come from Persia, for Xerxes, son and successor ofDarius, was nearly ready for another invasion of saw too, no doubt, that his decree would give Athensthe strongest nav
. History of Greece for High Schools and Academies . here were hundreds of Athe-nians as just and as honest as either of their leaders. On the motion of Themistocles, the council and the as-sembly then decreed that the revenues from the minesshould be used for building triremes. Their immediatemotive was the war which they were still waging, without suc-cess, against ^Egina; but Themistocles foresaw the dangerstill to come from Persia, for Xerxes, son and successor ofDarius, was nearly ready for another invasion of saw too, no doubt, that his decree would give Athensthe strongest navy in the world. The Athenians began im-mediately to build triremes, so that they had two hundredready when the enemy came. We shall see how they usedthese ships in the battle of Salamis to defend Europe againstAsia; and how, when the war was over, they acquired a greatmaritime empire. In the meantime, Xerxes was preparing for the conquestof Greece. For four years he gathered his resources, stor-ing provisions along the proposed route and collecting. Xerxes prepares for War 127 troops from every part of the empire. In the spring of481 , the nations he ruled were pouring their contin-gents into Asia Minor, and the autumn of the year found p. with his vast host encamped for the winter at engineers were engaged in bridging the Hellespontwith boats and in digging a canal through the Isthmus ofAthos, that the fleet might not be compelled to round thedangerous cape. Herodotus estimates the total land force Hdt. vii, 61-at a million seven hundred thousand men; but this is I0p*doubtless a great exaggeration. Xerxes had, apparently,three hundred thousand serviceable troops, while the restwere merely for display. On the sea were about twelvehundred ships of war, manned by Greeks, Phoenicians, andEgyptians. The invasion was indeed to bring Greece intogreat peril; for the battle of Marathon had not decided thewar with Persia, and Xerxes still hoped to win by sheerforc
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