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The Persian Wars
Persian Wars Basics
When: 499-479 BCE
 Who: Allied Greek city states v. the Persian
Empire

Persia
Largest empire the world had ever seen
 Ruled by powerful kings

Before the War


When? 546 BCE
Persia conquers the Greeks along the Ionian coast and
force them to pay tribute (taxes) to the Persian Empire
546 BCE:
This
belongs to
Persia now
haha!
Ionian Revolt
When: 499 BCE Ionians
asked the naval power of
Athens to help them gain
independence
 Athens sends a fleet and
wins a quick victory and
then goes home
 Ionians are left to fight for
themselves
 By 493 BCE the Persians
had defeated the Ionians

Greek Soldier
Helmet with face
guard and plume
Bronze chest
armour
Greaves
(leg armour)
Long spear
Wooden circular
shield
Greek warriors were known
as hoplites. They fought in
groups called phalanxes.
Phalanx



Central Idea: Group is more important than the
individual
Each person has a shield and a spear
The shield cover themselves and the person to their left
Greek Trireme
Sail
Group of hoplites
Rowers
below
deck
Bronze
battering ram
Three rows
of oars
Long slim hull
for speed
Greek warships were known
as triremes. The name
trireme means ‘a ship with
three rows of oars’.
Battle of Marathon
490 BCE
 Athenian
army had to
fight alone
 Tricked the
Persian army
into a
position
where there
could attack
on three
sides
 Phalanx
formation
proved
effective
against
Persian foot
soldiers

Pheidippedes Run





Ran 150mi journey from
Marathon to Sparta in 2
days to ask for help
Sparta said no
Also said to have run the
26mi from Marathon to
Athens to announce the
victory!
Then he died 
Modern Marathons use
this number of miles
Xerxes Attacks
King Darius dies in
490 and his son
Xerxes takes over
 Launches a new
invasion of Greece
in 480 BCE
 Crosses the
Hellespont
(literally Bridge of
Greece) known
today as the
Dardanelles
 Ropes hundreds of
boats together to
cross the water

Battle of Thermopylae
Greeks needed to slow the Persian Army
down so that it did not get to Athens so
quickly
 Thermopylae was a narrow pass through
the mountains
 A traitor betrayed the Greeks and showed
the Persians a way around the pass
 Persians attacked from the rear

Battle Outcome
King Leonidas of Sparta sent most of the 7,000
Greek troops ahead to Athens to save them
 300 Spartan soldiers fought to the death to slow
down the Persians
 Gave Athens enough time to get 200 ships ready
for battle

Battle of Salamis

Greek fleet of triremes attacked the
Persian fleet at the strait of Salamis
– Strait: narrow strip of water between two
pieces of land
Battle Outcome
Greek ships were smaller and faster and could
turn better in tight spaces
 Persian fleet was practically destroyed
 Persians then attacked Athens & burned it down

Battle of Plataea (479 BCE)
Largest army of Greek soldiers ever
 By working together, the city-states
defeated Persia
 Persians went back to Asia Minor in defeat

Importance of the Persian Wars
1.
2.
3.
Athens, Sparta, and other Greek citystates came together to fight Persia
Athenian victories at Marathon & Salamis
left Athens in control of the Aegean Sea
Athens was not conquered so it
continued to make innovations in the
field of government and learning