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The Persian War Detail of Persian Campaigns Who were the Persians? • Centered in modern day Iran, which literally means “Land of the Aryans” • At height, the Persian Empire covered the territory shown above Rise of Persia: the Achaemenids • Ruling Dynasty from 700-330 BC • Controlled a vast empire from 530 BC forward Darius I: “King of Kings” (521-486 BC) • Established Imperial Government – Divided empire into 20 Satrapies – Maintained large bureaucracy and spy network – “Royal Road” from Persepolis (capital) to Sardis, in Asia Minor • Ruled through local “client kings” who paid homage to Darius as their leader Causes of the First Persian War • Ionian Greeks (living along coast of Black Sea) were being oppressed by a client king of the Persians • In 499 BC, Ionian Greeks rebelled against client state’s rule and asked for help from mainland Greeks; Athens sent 20 warships to assist them First Persian War • Persians reasserted control by 495 BC; Darius decided to punish Athens • In 492 BC, he sent a large fleet and army across Aegean Sea, landing near Athens • Persian army approximately 30,000 troops; Athenian army about 9,000 • Outnumbered Greeks met the Persians at the seashore Battle of Marathon, 490 BC • Persian camp was on seashore • Persian warships were beached • Greeks assembled for battle – Made center of phalanx purposefully thinner – Massed troops on ends of lines • Persian preparations Battle of Marathon, 490 BC Battle of Marathon, 490 BC • . . . And performed a double envelopment of the Persian army • Most of Persian navy launched without waiting for Persian soldiers; many drowned or were speared in water First Persian War Aftermath • Greeks unified in face of perceived threat to their way of life, form Greek League • Persian empire was in disarray due to loss; Darius spent next 4 years putting down revolts, until his death in 486 BC • Son, Xerxes, assumed power, and prepared massive invasion force for return to Greece to avenge father’s loss Second Persian War (480-479 BC) Second Persian War • Xerxes invaded Greece – 250,000 soldiers from all over empire (Asia / Africa / SW Asia) – 1000 ships paralleling army – Crossed Hellespont over bridge of boats Hollywood’s Leonidas • Met Spartans in battle in mountain pass at Thermopylae, in central Greece • King Leonidas of Sparta led 300 Spartans and 3700 other Greeks in desperate stand to slow Persian advance Greece’s Leonidas Battle of Thermopylae • For three days, Leonidas held Persians off, killing thousands of Persians; but a Greek traitor showed Persians a way around the Spartan blockade; they were attacked from rear and destroyed to the man Fall of Athens and Salamis • Persians marched on Athens, destroyed abandoned city • Xerxes brought fleet up to destroy Athenian navy and kill Athenians who took refuge on island of Salamis • Battle of Salamis ensued; – Outnumbered Greeks destroyed Persian navy – Lured Persians into narrow straits & negated their #s Salamis • Following defeat, Xerxes abandons army and returns to Persia; army defeated in 478 BC at Battle of Platea Significance of Persian Wars • Greek victory allowed Golden Age of Greece to occur, allowing for Western philosophy, art, culture to come into its own and spread throughout Europe, US • Persian victory would have snuffed out idea of democracy • Persian victory would have changed our world today