Download The Greeks at War

The Greeks at War: the Persian War
START
HERE
In 519 B.C. the
Persians
conquered a
group of Greek
people who
lived in Ionia
(Asia Minor)
In 499 B.C. the Ionian
Greeks asked the
mainland Greeks to aid
them in a rebellion against
the Persians…
We’re on
the way!
Help
us!
The Athenians sent many
warships to help the
Ionian Greeks, but they
were not strong enough to
defeat the Persians…
The Battle of Marathon:
In 490 B.C. Darius sent
600 ships & thousands of
soldiers to invade AND
punish the Greeks. The
Persians, who greatly
outnumbered the Greeks
landed just north of
Marathon.
VICTORY: Persia
Despite the Persian
victory, King Darius of
Persia was VERY MAD!
I’m
very
mad!
The Persians were shocked by the
strength & sheer will of the
Athenian soldiers. After several
days the Persians decided to attack
by sea, but they were no match for
the Athenian navy.
***Story of Pheidippides…
VICTORY: Athens
The Battle of
Thermopylae:
In 480 B.C. Darius’ son,
Xerxes sent a large force
to conquer Greece
(200,000 soldiers and
1,000 ships). Initially the
Persians had no problem
making their way
through Greece; however,
they eventually came to a
small mountain pass
called Thermopylae
which was being guarded
by 7,000 Greeks.
In the meantime, Athens joined
forces with Sparta and 20 other
Greek city–states
At this point, 300 Spartans, led
by King Leonidas, continued to
block the passage. After 3 days
they were defeated; however
they won valuable time for the
rest of the Greeks.
VICTORY: Persia
After several days of preventing a
advance, the Persians began to
push through the pass.
Many Athenians
knew that this was
only a temporary
victory; encouraged
a military buildup –
PREPARE FOR
BATTLE!
Rejoice!
We
Conquer
!
WE ARE
SPARTA!
After their victory, the Persians
marched south & destroyed
the city of Athens.
Fortunately, the Athenians had
already moved to the city of
Salamis, a small nearby island.
Battle of Salamis:
At Salamis, more than 800
Persian ships attacked the
Athenian navy. The large
Persian ships could not
maneuver in the water – the
smaller Greek ships destroyed
them!
VICTORY: Greece
Results of the PERSIAN WAR:
1. Athens emerged as the MOST POWERFUL city–state in Greece
2. Athens organized the DELIAN LEAGUE, an alliance with other Greek
city–states
3. The Athenians built a large empire & experienced a GOLDEN AGE