Download Trojan War 10 year war between Mycenaean kings and Troy Greek

Trojan War
10 year war between Mycenaean kings and Troy
Greek army besieged and destroyed Troy
Trojan had kidnapped Helen (Greek kings wife)
Trojan Horse was seen as a gift for the Greeks, Trojans hiding inside to take over and burn city ended
war
Persian Wars
Battle of Marathon
490 – king Darius of Persia sent a force that landed at Marathon, about 26 miles across the Attic
Peninsula from Athens
Athenians met, and surprised, the Persians rather than waiting at the walls of their city
Athenian army was 10,000 strong vs. the Persians 20,000
Militiades used the double envelopment strategy weak center and strong wings – sent Persians back to
the sea
Pheidippides ran the approx. 26 miles to Athens, proclaimed, “Rejoice! We are victorious,” collapsed
and died
Battle of Thermopylae – (300)
Greek badly divided – some agreed to fight Persians, some let Xerxes destroy Athens and return home
Met no resistance until the Spartans
Day One: fought in the narrow pass – the superior Greek military equipment, especially the heavy shield,
prevented the Persians from penetrating the pass
Day Two: the Greeks fought valiantly again, rotating their units and drawing in the Persians – yet a Greek
traitor showed the Persians the back (Anapaea Path) pass and were able to catch the Phoecian guards
by surprise)
Day Three: fatal and final day – Leonidas hears they will be surrounded – holds a council – opinion is
split – declares it dishonorable for any Spartan to retreat – only the Thebes stayed with Sparta
Peloponnesian War
A series of wars fought between Athens and Sparta for 27 years (431 B.C.)
This resulted also in many small civil wars within the various cities - states between oligarchs and
democrats
First Phrase: the plague struck Athens, helping the Spartan cause – 1/3 of Athens died – but after ten
years of destruction a truce was signed and Athens kept its empire. Pericles died as well.
Second Phase: Spartans closed in on Athens, and starved it into submission. They lost their empire,
power and wealth. Confidence in democracy faltered and leader after leader proved weak, corrupt or
traitorous.
Now, on a separate sheet of paper, copy the diagram on the board. Compare
the similarities and differences between the Trojan, Persian and Peloponnesian
Wars. After you fill out the diagram, write a half page essay about the wars.