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Persia Attacks the Greeks
Get Ready to Read
Section Overview
This section traces the rise of the Persian
Empire and how the Greeks prevented
the Persians from conquering them.
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• The Persian Empire united a wide area
under a single government.
• Both Sparta and Athens played roles in
defeating the Persians.
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Locating Places
• Persia (PUHR·zhuh)
• Marathon (MAR·uh·THAHN)
• Thermopylae (thuhr·MAH·puh·lee)
• Salamis (SA·luh·muhs)
• Plataea (pluh·TEE·uh)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Meeting People
• Cyrus the Great (SY·ruhs)
• Darius (duh·RY·uhs)
• Xerxes (ZUHRK·SEEZ)
• Themistocles (thuh·MIHS·tuh·KLEEZ)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Building Your Vocabulary
• Satrapies (SAY·truh·pees)
• Satrap (SAY·TRAP)
• Zoroastrianism
(ZOHR·uh·WAS·tree·uh·NIH·zuhm)
Reading Strategy
Organizing Information Create a Chart
like the one on page 131 of your textbook.
List the accomplishments of Cyrus,
Darius, and Xerxes.
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Empire
• Persians were warriors and nomads
who lived in Persia, the southwestern
area of what is today Iran.
• Cyrus the Great united the Persians.
• The Persians built a large empire,
conquering Mesopotamia, Asia Minor,
Syria, Canaan, and Phoenician cities.
(pages 132–133)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Empire (cont.)
• Darius came to power in 521
B.C. and reorganized the
government.
• The empire under Darius
was divided into
satrapies, each with a
ruler known as a satrap.
• The satraps
answered to the
king.
(pages 132–133)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Empire (cont.)
• The military of Persia consisted of fulltime, paid soldiers known as Immortals.
• Zoroastrianism, the religion of Persia,
was founded by Zoroaster, who believed
in one god, the freedom of humans, and
the triumph of good.
(pages 132–133)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Cyrus’s compassion for his
people helped the Persian
Empire grow.
A. True
B. False
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Wars
• After a failed rebellion by the Greeks,
King Darius decided to stop the Greeks
from interfering in his empire.
• The Battle of Marathon occurred in 490
B.C. on the plain of Marathon, a short
distance from Athens.
• The Persians waited there for the
Athenians.
(pages 134–137)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Wars (cont.)
• When they did not come, the Persian
commander ordered the troops back on
the boat.
• When the horsemen were on the boat,
the Greeks charged the Persian foot
soldiers and defeated them.
• After Darius’s death, his son Xerxes
became king.
• He vowed a new invasion of Greece.
(pages 134–137)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Wars (cont.)
• Athens and Sparta joined forces to
defend against Xerxes’s attack.
• The Greeks fought the Persians at
Thermopylae for two days.
• The Greeks lost the battle, but 200
ships were assembled in Athens.
(pages 134–137)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Wars (cont.)
• At the Battle of Salamis, the Greeks
used their faster, smaller ships to defeat
the Persian fleet.
(pages 134–137)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Wars (cont.)
• The Persians entered Athens and burned
the city.
• The Greek army won at Plataea.
• This was the turning point of the wars
with Persia.
• The Persian Empire fell for several
reasons.
(pages 134–137)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
The Persian Wars (cont.)
• The Persians were weakened by war,
and their rulers taxed the people and
spent the money lavishly.
• The sons of kings had little power, so
they killed rulers to get power.
(pages 134–137)
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Marathon races got their name
from a Greek story told over
centuries.
A. True
B. False
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Why was Cyrus considered a fair
ruler?
A. He treated new subjects
well.
B. He screamed “Off with
their heads!” when
someone made him
angry.
Persia Attacks the Greeks
What was the Royal Road?
A. The Royal Road was a vast
road that connected
Persian cities.
B. The Royal Road was the
last track on Mario Kart.
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Persuasive Writing Imagine you
are an adviser to Xerxes and are
alarmed about his plan for revenge
on Greece. Compose a letter to him
outlining reasons why he should
cancel his invasion of Greece.
Answers will vary.
Persia Attacks the Greeks
Why do historians consider the
Greek defeat of the Persians a
turning point in history?
It led to the rise of Athenian power
and to a period of great philosophy.