Themistocles biography channel

Themistocles, son of Neocles, emerged as a new figure in the history of Greece during the initial stage of the Persian war; he belonged to the mercantile class of Athens, not a noble masquerading as popular champion, but a commoner drawn from the ranks.

Son of obscure parents, he did not receive the education of well-bred gentlemen, for he lacked the accomplishment of playing the harp which was norms in all well-bred gentlemen in Athens.

But he practised the study of rhetoric and associated with professional teachers of Political Science since his boy­hood.

He belonged to a new age and new type and his appearance in the forefront of Politics, hitherto the monopoly of the nobles, was a striking symptom of the swift democratic evolution in Athens.

To the problems of state, he brought not merely fresh outlook, but also singularly fertile initiative and resourcefulness.

Holm calls him ‘one of Greece’s greatest men’. He did good service t