Download Oracle at Delphi

Oracle at Delphi
Topics
• The Persian Wars.
• The Golden Age of Athens.
• The Peloponnesian War.
The Persian Wars
• Cyrus conquers Asia Minor, gains Greek
city-states on west coast. (Ionia).
• Ionians didn’t mind.
• Darius increases their taxes.
• The Greek city-states revolt, lead by the city
of Miletus.
• Miletus appeals to all Greece.
• But only Athens and Eretria respond.
• By 494 BC, Miletus is destroyed. All put into
slavery.
• To punish Athens and Eretria, Darius
invades Greece.
• Darius destroys Eretria.
• Darius invades Attica.
• Darius lands at Marathon.
• Big battle at Marathon.
• Runner runs 26 miles back to Athens to tell
of Greek victory.
• Historic victory of a small free city-states
against an empire.
• Turning point of history.
• Athens had saved their freedom.
• Darius dies in 480 BC.
• Xerxes takes the throne.
• Xerxes leads a huge army and navy to
conquer Greece.
• His Army is forced to march through a
narrow pass called Thermopylae.
• A small force of Spartans (300) personally
lead by their king Leonidas holds the pass
for several days against 200,000 Persians.
• They were betrayed by a Greek and
conquered from behind.
• All the Spartans fought to the death.
• The Persians march through the pass and
conquered Athens.
• However, the Spartans gain the Greeks time
to prepare.
• The Athenian navy lures the Persian navy
into a trap at Salamis.
• Greek ships were smaller than the Persian’s
ships. Easier to maneuver.
• Xerxes leaves a powerful army in Greece,
goes home.
• The next year (479 BC), a combined Greek
army destroys the Persians.
• The century after the war is the greatest
period of Greek history.
• The Persian Empire was still powerful, and
interfered with Greek affairs for another
150 years.
• But they never invaded.
The Golden Age of Athens
• The combined Greek armies created the
Delian League.
• 140 city-states, lead by Athens, joined the
league.
• Athens soon transformed the league into an
empire of its own.
• The power of Athens kept the Persians out.
• But the 139 other city-states lost their
freedom to Athens.
• The Parthenon in Athens was financed by
other members of the league.
• Pericles gains power in Athens.
• Direct democracy is at its height in Athens.
• Pericles is a great speaker and politician.
• The Age of Pericles.
• One citizen one vote.
• The Council of Five Hundred still controlled
the assembly.
• Every year, 1000 public officials were
chosen to run the empire administration.
• Athenians began to pay their public
officials.
• Judges were paid too.
The Peloponnesian War.
• Many city-states want their freedom from
Athens.
• Sparta becomes the leader of city-states
against Athens.
• In 432 BC, the group of city-states declares
war against Athens.
• Sparta makes the first move.
• Sparta attacks farms and villages in Attica.
• Athenians withdraw behind their huge
defensive wall.
• Spartan lay siege to Athens.
• A plague breaks out in Athens.
• A group of aristocrats takes control of
Athens.
• But there is a revolt and democracy again
takes control.
• This weakens Athens.
• In 404 BC, Athens surrenders.
• Athens becomes a second rate power.
End
• Know the following terms ...
• Xerxes
• Leonidas (Spartan King)
• Delian League
• Pericles
• Marathon
• Peloponnesian War
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Explain and describe each term as much as possible..
1. Salamis
2. Pathos
3. Logos
4. Ethnos
5. Xerxes
6. Leonidas
7. Delian League
8. Pericles
9. Marathon
10. Peloponnesian War