Download Unit 6 Lesson 8 The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars

Unit 6
Lesson 8
The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
Lesson 8 – The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
1. Greece defeated two major Persian invasions in the
_________________. (Battle of Salamis/Persian Wars)
2. The ____________________ began when Sparta declared war on
Athens. (city-state/Peloponnesian War)
3. While Athens had a powerful navy, Sparta had a strong
_____________. (government/army)
4. In 415 BC, both the army and navy of Athens were badly damaged
when they were defeated on the island of __________________.
(Sicily/Sparta)
5. The fighting between the Greek city-states in the years after the
Peloponnesian War left Greece open to attack from ____________.
(armies/outsiders)
Generalization: Conflict can both strengthen and weaken a culture
Big idea – The Persian fought Greece twice in the Persian wars, but after Persia’s
defeat Sparta and Athens fought over who should have power and influence in
Greece
1. - explain – Why did Persia want to invade Greece?
Because many Greek city-states were rebelling against
the Persian Empire
2. - summarize – What happened to the Dalian League?
Athens increased its influence over the other city-states
in the league, began to treat other members unfairly
and used the league’s money to benefit Athens. The
league became an Athenian empire
3. - explain – Why did many city-states form an alliance
against Athens? Because Athens treated them like
subjects
The Persian War
- expansion of the empire by Darius I
- 499 BC the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor rebelled – failed
- received help from city-states in Greece
- mainly Athens
- Darius angry at Greek interference in internal affair
- swore revenge
Athens and Sparta unite against them
- Athens used phalanxes of Hoplites (citizen soldiers)
The First Invasion of Greece
- 490 BC – Darius invaded Greece
- Persian fleet burned city-state of Eretria
- battled the Athenians on the Plains of Marathon
- Persians – 15,000 men
- Athenians – 11,000 men
- Greek victory
- better weapons and leaders
Battle of Marathon
- Greeks outnumbered 2 to 10, but still defeated the Persians
- sent warning then the army moved to defend Athens – the marathon
- when the Persians arrived saw they were defended and left
War continued under Xerxes I – Athens built a powerful navy to prepare
Second Invasion
- 480 BC – led by Xerxes I
- Persian army, navy and Immortals
- Athens worked with Sparta to lead an alliance of Greek city-states
- Sparta – strongest army
- Athens – strongest navy
- Spartans slowed the Persian’s advance at Battle of Thermopylae
- Persians burned Athens
- Persians defeated in naval battle at Salamis
- smaller Athenian ships had greater mobility
- final battle – Plataea
- Persia withdrew and did not return
- predict – How might the Persian Wars have
ended if the Spartans had not slowed the
Persians at Thermopylae?
- analyze – How did the Greeks use strategy to
defeat a larger fighting force?
- predict – After Athens and
Sparta joined to defeat Persia, do
you think they remained allies
Invaded in 480 BC
- Spartans held them off at Thermopylae -- annihilated
Athens occupied and burned
Battle of Salamis – defeated in 479 BC – never attacked Greece again
The Peloponnesian War
- The Dalian League
- alliance to defend Greece from the Persians
- each city-state gave money for defense
- Athens was the strongest member – strongest navy
- money went to them
- they had complete control
- treated the others like subjects
- referred to as the Athenian Empire
- refused to let members withdraw
- forced other city-states to join
- used defense money on their own city
- The Peloponnesian League
- formed by those worried about Athens growing power
- led by Sparta
- declared war on Athens
431BC
- Sparta attacks the city of Athens, but Athenians stayed behind their walls
- Sparta destroyed the surrounding farms
- besieged the city
- got supplies through their navy
- Athenian navy began attacking Sparta’s allies
- disease swept through Athens – killing thousands
- 10 years – neither could gain an advantage
- agreed to a truce
- Athens kept its empire
- Sparta went home
415 BC
- Athens broke the truce by attacking Sicily – Sparta’s ally
- Sicilians
- defeated the Athenian army
- destroyed most of their navy
- Sparta attacked Athens – Sparta victorious
- evaluate – Do you agree or disagree with this
statement: “The Athenians brought the
Peloponnesian War on themselves.” Defend
your argument.
Sparta now the most powerful city-state
- controlled most of Greece
- resentment against them grew
- led to wars between the city-states
- weakened all of Greece
Being part of the Hellenistic world improved the quality
of life for the people who lived there in what way?
a. By all speaking the same language it made it trade
easier and the people had access to more goods
b.
c. They were able to trade with more people which
caused them to compete for available resources
d. through war the Greeks were able to control more
land and slave which made their lives better.