Download Persian War

Global 9
Name: __________________
You are an Athenian Warrior Living During the Time of the Persian Wars:
When Ionia was attacked by the Persian Army, Ionian Greeks revolted immediately. Your city-state of
Athens decided to send ships and soldiers to their aid. Unfortunately the revolt was easily put down and
the ultimate result of the conflict was that Darius the Great, king of Persia, vowed to destroy your
beloved Athens in revenge.
1. Why would you find it necessary to send aid to the Ionian Greeks?
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2. Even though you lost the battle, what do you think this signified to the Persian army?
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Darius followed up with his promise to attack you and did so by sending 25,000 men across the Aegean
see to Marathon, a city off the coast of Athens. There you waited for the untrained Persian army. After a
few hours of battle, you were able to quickly defeat the Persians into a retreat. The Persians lost almost
6,000 men while you, the exceptionally well trained Greeks, only lost 200. With the city of Athens
defenseless you sent a boy to run 26 miles to Athens to tell the people to defend the city. (Marathons
today are named after this) When Darius arrived in Athens he realized he would have to fight again and
retreated out to sea.
1. Why do you think this was an important battle to be won?
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2. Why do you think the Persian were so easily defeated (think about numbers and training)
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10 Years later Xerxes, successor of Darius, assembled an enormous invasion to crush your Athenian city.
All of Greece was worried at this point because of how massive Xerxes’ army had become. It was
debated if they should even come to your aide when the invasion hit. The great Spartan warriors, always
ready to fight, came to your aid and stalled the Persians for 3 days. They were only defeated due to a
traitor telling of a secret passage way through the mountains that allowed the Persian to enclose the
army. All of the Spartan warriors were killed.
After the hard fought battle with the Spartans, Xerxes pushed on to Athens. It was decided that the best
way to defend the city was by sea because of your superior navy. You easily defeated Xerxes and the
Persians.
With an alliance of all Greek city-states called the Delian League the Persians were pushed out of Greek
territory and the threat of future attacks were ended.
1. Would you have made the decision to come to the aid of the Athenians if you were a Spartan?
Why? Why not?
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2. If the Spartans had not been betrayed, do you think they could have finished off the Persian
army? Why or why not?
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3. The Athenians defeated Xerxes and the great Persian Army, what do you think that tell the rest
of Greece about the Athenians?
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