Greek Public Monuments of the Persian Wars, by William Custis West, III
The CHS is pleased to announce the online publication of Greek Public Monuments of the Persian Wars, by William Custis West, III. This text attempts to document the public monuments of the Persian Wars that were erected by the Greeks of the 5th century and to support this knowledge by evidence that will take the form of cataloguing.
“The Greeks who defeated the Persian invaders in the early fifth century B. C. erected monuments to last beyond their lifetimes and to arouse in succeeding generations a feeling of respect and wonder for their achievement. None of the monuments commemorating these famous wars have survived in unimpaired form and few have survived at all. In view of the ravages of time and warfare this fact is hardly astonishing and gives striking confirmation of the wisdom of such poets as Pindar and Horace (Nemean 5; Odes 3.30).
The purpose of this study is to recover, as far as possible, knowledge of the public monuments of the Persian Wars set up by the Greeks of the fifth century. A survey of the evidence is proposed. It will take the form of a catalogue; the evidence has been collected from inscriptions, scattered literary references, and archaeological research. The classification of monuments as public means that they were put up by a league or city rather than by an individual. By their form, size, and appearance they expressed the corporate feelings of a group for the events they represented. Although discussed generally in several places they have never been completely collected or studied as a group. The catalogue of monuments arranged according to sanctuaries, cities, and battlefields of the Persian Wars is intended partially to fill this need.”