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Wars
 The
Greeks were under Persian rule
 They revolted and tried to gain freedom
 That failed and Persia is angry at them for
trying to be free
 9 years later the Persian army attacked the
Greeks at Marathon
Battle
Armies
Winner
Effects and why
the won
Marathon
Persians and
Greeks
(Athenians)
Greeks
Greeks had better
weapons even
thought they
were a small
army
Thermopylae
Persians and
Persians
Greeks (Athenians
and Spartans)
Won because of
an Athenian
Traitor
-Burned down
Athens
Salamis
Persians and
Athenian Navy
Athens
Persian ships
were too big for
the channel
Plataea
Persian and All
Greeks
Greeks
War ended
 The
Persians were defeated by the Athenians at
the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians were so
joyful in victory that they sent a professional
runner, Pheidippides, back to Athens.
 Pheidippidies
ran
about 26 miles to
Athens to report the
victory.
 When he arrived, he
cried out, “Nike!”
and died from
exhaustion.
 Nike is the goddess
of victory.
The 1896 Olympic marathon distance of 24.8
miles was based on the distance run by
Pheidippides.
 At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the
marathon distance was changed to 26.2 miles to
cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White
City Stadium, with the 2.2 miles added on so the
race could finish in front of royal family's viewing
box.
 This added two miles to the course, and is the
origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting "God
save the Queen!" as mile post 24 is passed.
 After 16 years of discussion, this 26.2 mile
distance was established at the 1924 Olympics
in Paris as the official marathon distance.




Sparta was known for its
great army and was a rival
of Athens.
Their army was known for
holding off the Persian
army of 250,000 at
Thermopylae for three
days with only 7000
soldiers.
This gave the people of
Athens time to escape
before the Persians
invaded there.
Peloponnesian War

The civil war between 2 Greek city-states.
Pericles’ Plan for Athens

Pericles as Leader


Skillful politician, inspiring
speaker, respected general
Dominates life in Athens
from 461 to 429 B.C.
Pericles’ Plan for Athens

Athenian Empire
 Takes
over the Delian League; uses money to
strengthen Athenian fleet.

Glorifying Athens
 Pericles
buys gold, ivory, marble; hires
artisans to beautify Athens all with money
from the Delian League without the whole
league’s consent.
The Peloponnesian League
The other city-states became resentful of
Athens’ power over them.
 They created their own league led by
Sparta: The Peloponnesian League

Athenians and Spartans Go to War

War Begins
 431
B.C. Sparta declares war on Athens—the
beginning of the Peloponnesian War.

Peloponnesian War
 Sparta
has a better army.
 Athens has a better navy.
 Plague strikes Athens in 430 B.C., kills many—
including Pericles.
 Sparta and Athens sign a truce in 421 B.C.
Athenians and Spartans Go to War

Sparta Gains Victory
 415
B.C. Athens renews war, attacks Syracuse
on the island of Sicily.
 Athens is defeated in 413 B.C.
 Athens and its allies surrender to Sparta in
404 B.C.
Battle of Syracuse in
Peloponnesian War
Greek Decline

The Greeks began to lose their sense of
community and fought with one another.
In 338 B.C. Philip II of Macedonia north
of Greece (Alexander the Great’s father)
conquered Greece.
Geography In History

The ancient Greek
city-states never
united because the
land was very
mountainous and
hilly making travel
difficult. This is one
case where
geography
influenced history.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
RISE TO KING
• Took over the Macedonia thrown at age
20 when his father was murdered
• Wanted to grow his empire so he
conquered nearby lands
• He controlled Greece, Egypt, Babylon,
India, Persia
GO ALEX!
People liked Alexander because he
conquered many lands and because he
let people keep their culture
A SAD FAREWELL
• Alexander’s men were tired after years of battle
and wanted to go home
• On his journal home, Alexander became ill
• He died at 33
• Before he died, he told his men, the strongest
would be king
• Therefore: no one was and the empire was
divided