Download Natural Barriers

Ancient Greece
Battle of Marathon
490 B.C.E.
Essential Questions
6.G.1 Understand geographic factors that influenced the
emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies
and regions (i.e. Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas)
over time.
6.H.2 Understand the political, economic and/or social
significance of historical events, issues, individuals and
cultural groups.
6.C.1 Explain how the behaviors and practices of individuals
and groups influenced societies, civilizations and regions.
Clarifying Objectives
• 6.G.1.1 Explain how the physical features and human characteristics of a
place influenced the development of civilizations, societies and regions (e.g.,
location near rivers and natural barriers, trading practices and spread of
culture).
• 6.G.1.3 Compare distinguishing characteristics of various world regions (e.g.,
physical features, culture, political organization and ethnic make-up).
• 6.H.2.2 Compare historical and contemporary events and issues to understand
continuity and change.
• 6.C.1.1 Analyze how cultural expressions reflected the values of
civilizations, societies and regions (e.g., oral traditions, art, dance, music,
literature, and architecture).
Essential Questions
 How did the Athenians use NATURAL BARRIERS during the Battle of
Marathon?
 Why would the Athenians choose to live in a region that had
NATURAL BARRIERS?
 How does tHe region of greece’s pHysical features Help ancient
Greece in their famous battles?
 How do today’s MaratHons relate to tHe ancient Battle of
Marathon?
 How did the Athenians create a culture expression to honor
victory at the battle of Marathon?
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is located between the Mediterranean
Sea & Aegean Sea
It is known for beautiful SEA & MOUNTAIN settings
These distinguishing features have PROTECTED Greece
for hundreds of years
Essential Questions
• get witH a partner and answer…
• How does tHe region of greece’s pHysical features Help
Ancient Greece in their famous battles?
• Why would the Athenians choose to live in a region that had
NATURAL BARRIERS?
Athens will Burn
 Darius never forgot about his hatred of Ancient
Greece and planned an all out attack
 He had to decide whether to attack
 Attack by land
 Attack by sea
 He decides to attack by land and march 26.2
miles to Athens and burn it to the ground
Athens Overmatched
• Athens going into the Battle of Marathon only
had 10,000 men
• King Darius of Persia had united the Persian
Army and now was trying to get revenge on
Athens
• Darius brings 20,000 men to attack at
Marathon
• Athens did have one secret weapon
Natural Barriers
 Athens General Miltiades knows
that for Darius to march to
Athens he needs to go through the
mountains
 Miltiades will block the mountain
pass with his men
Natural Barriers
• The mountains on the sides of Miltiades
Athenian Army serve as PROTECTION so the
large Persian Army could not get the
Athenians from the side
• NATURAL BARRIERS always are used as
PROTECTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUFIf-uRN0
o get witH a partner and answer…
o How did the Athenians use NATURAL
BARRIERS during the Battle of
Marathon?
Essential Questions
Phalanx Formation
• Athenian General Miltiades
uses the Phalanx Battle
Formation
• This is very affective
because the natural barrier
of the mountain does not
allow the Persians to get to
the sides
Cork in a Bottle
• Miltiades Men forM a kind of “cork in a
Bottle”
• persians Must Break tHrougH tHe “cork” to
get through the mountain pass & on to
Athens
Persians Land in Marathon Bay
• Persians send 10,000 Light Infantry at the
Athenians
• Persian Light Infantry carry small
swords and wicker shields
• They slam up against the Athenian
Phalanx & are no match for the Athenians
Immortals
• Immortals were the Heavy Infantry of the Persians
• Immortals are the Athenians worst nightmare
• They are killing machines that are very well trained
and have never lost a battle
Miltiades changes his Plan
• Because the Immortals were so deadly
Miltiades has to change his strategy
• Miltiades brings his Phalanx out of the
Mountain pass to the mouth of the pass
• This is so he has a little bit of room on the
flanks to close in
Miltiades changes his Plan
• Because the mouth of the pass is wider he has to take
some of his men out of the CENTER of the Phalanx & put
them on the sides to fortify the sides
• This made the center of the Phalanx weaker but the
sides stronger
Why make the sides Stronger
tHe reason He Made tHe sides stronger…
①He wanted to make sure the Persians couldn't get
to the sides and surround him
②He knew the Persians like to use their Horseman to
attack from the sides because that is the
weakest part of an army
Immortals Attack
• Immortals attack the center of the Phalanx crashing
into the Athenians and immediately pushing them back
• He realizes that the Immortals are pushing him back and
he is losing
• The Phalanx is about to bust open
Surprise!!
• Although the center of the Phalanx is being
pushed back
• The sides (Flanks) are holding up and pushing back
the Immortals on the sides
Miltiades orders a Surrounding
• Miltiades seeing that
the Phalanx on the
sides is slaughtering
the Immortal guard
orders the side
Phalanxes to collapse
to the center
• The Persians are
surrounded on 3 sides
and panic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUFIf-uRN0
Persian Retreat
• Knowing that they are beat the Persians retreat to Marathon Bay
where their ships are as they are being chased by the Athenians
• The Athenians cannot get there in time and the Persians shove off &
head for Athens
Miltiades is very happy as he has defeated the Persian Army at
Marathon only having 10,000 warriors
He is SCARED though because he knows that they have gotten back on
the ships and are heading to Athens to burn it down
Mixed Emotions
Running the Marathon
• Miltiades sends a
runner named
Pheidippides to
warn the city of
Athens
• The runner will
have to run 26.2
miles from
Marathon Bay to
the city of Athens
• He runs all night
long
Finishing the Marathon
The runner reaches Athens
from Marathon in the morning
and runs into the center of
town square & yells NIKE
which is the Greek Goddess of
VICTORY
He warns that the Persians
are on their way
He throws up his hands
collapses and dies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUFIf-uRN0
Athens Army Assembles
• Because of the messenger
Athens assembles an
army to wait for the
Persians at Athens
• The Persians get to
Athens and see the
massive Athenian Army
waiting for them
• Persians decide better of
attacking & sail home
Athens is Saved
 Miltiades saves tHe city of atHens By….
1- Using a NATURAL BARRIER to defend Marathon Bay
2- send tHe Messenger to run tHe “MaratHon” to warn
Athens that the Persians were coming
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUFIf-uRN0
Parthenon
•
A tribute to the Greek
Goddess Athena is
built to honor the
soldiers at the Battle
of Marathon
•
This building is called
the PARTHENON
•
On its walls 192
figures are carved to
honor all 192
Athenians soldiers
that died at the
Battle of Marathon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Xr4u8mofU
Essential Questions
get witH a partner and answer…
How did the Athenians create a culture expression to honor
victory at the battle of Marathon?
• Battle of Marathon
still lives with us
today
• People run long
distance races
today called
Marathons
• These races are
exactly 26.2 miles
the exact distance
from Marathon Bay
to Athens
Marathons Today
Essential Questions
• Get with a partner and
answer…
• How do today’s MaratHons
relate to the Ancient Battle
of Marathon?
Important Points
• 6.G.1.1 (Natural Barriers)
Miltiades used the Natural
Barrier of a mountain pass
to PROTECT his civilization
from invasion
• 6.H.2.2 (Contemporary &
Historical Events) Long
distance races that are 26.2
miles long are still called
Marathons today in honor of
the Battle of Marathon
• 6.G.1.3 (distinguishing
characteristic of regions
[physical features]) Most
of Greece has mountains
which played an important
role in ancient greece’s
famous battles
• 6.C.1.1 (Architecture)
Athenians constructed the
PARTHENON to celebrate
the victory @ Marathon