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Greek History
An Introduction
The Classical Period
490-323 BC
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
For maps see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Peloponnesian_war_alliances_4
31_BC.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pelopennesian_War,_Key_Actio
ns_in_each_Phase,_431_-_404_B.C..JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_Macedonia_336_BCes.svg
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
The Persian Wars
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The Persian Wars really began with the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC
The Persian Empire had been expanding into Asia Minor at the expense of Greek
city states there.
Athens sent support to the Ionian city states when they revolted against
Persian rule.
The revolt was suppressed and the Persian King, Darius, wanted to punish Athens
for their support of the rebel cities.
In 490 BC he sent an amphibious force to attack Athens.
The Athenians appealed to Sparta and the other Greek states for help.
The Spartans were involved in their annual religious festival and refused help at
that time.
Athens faced the Persians alone.
At the battle of Marathon in 490 BC Athens defeated the Persian force.
Persia had now become involved in Greek affairs.
The defeat at Marathon would lead directly to the invasion of Greece ten years
later.
When Darius died his son Xerxes became King/Emperor of the Persian Empire.
He immediately began plans for an invasion of Greece in revenge for his fathers
defeat.
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
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Xerxes invasion of Greece is chronicled by Herodotus, the first historian, in his
book ‘The Histories’.
Herodotus is also known as the father of lies from his habit of reporting popular
rumour as fact.
Xerxes assembled what was, according to Herodotus, the largest army ever
assembled. It was so large it drank rivers dry.
Xerses crossed the Hellespont and moved through northern Greece without
meeting much resistance in Macedonia or Thessaly.
The Greek city states had formed and alliance of states to meet the coming
invasion.
The Alliance was led by Athens and Sparta.
Their initial plan has been to engage the Persians (on Land) at the Pass of
Thermopylae.
They would also engage the Persian fleet at Artemesium.
This plan was revised when the Greek Alliance saw the size of The Persian force.
It was agreed (with much opposition from Athens) to repel the invasion at the
isthmus of Corinth.
The Persians wiped out the 300 Spartans (and 700 Boeotians) at the Battle of
Thermopylae in 480BC but this became a big propaganda victory for the Greeks.
The Persians occupied Athens which was evacuated and the buildings on the
Acropolis were burned.
The Greek naval forces engaged the Persians at the Battle of Salamis – and won
a famous victory.
The following year the Persians were routed on land at the Battle of Plataea.
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
The 5th Century BC
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Athens and Sparta emerged as the strongest powers after the Persian invasion.
Athens was a maritime power while Sparta dominated the Peloponnesus and their
main power was on land.
The Athenians set up the Delian League after the war – this was a League of
States – mostly islands and costal states – that looked to the Athenian navy for
protection.
The Delian League became the Athenian League and then the Athenian Empire.
Athens became rich – the Acropolis was rebuilt with the Parthenon and the
other temples.
This was the height of the ‘Athenian democracy’ and it modeled itself as the
centre of civilization. This was the period of Aeschylus, Sophocles and
Euripides.
As Athenian power grew it came into conflict with the other Greek superpower
Sparta.
Eventually war broke out between the Athenian League and the Peloponnesian
League in 431 BC.
The war was chronicled by the historian Thucydides in his book “The
Peloponnesian War”
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
The Peloponnesian War 431-404 BC
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The Peloponnesian war between Athens and her allies and Sparta and her allies
lasted almost 30 years and took place in three parts.
The first part, known as the Archidamian war, consisted of annual land attacks
by Sparta on Athens. Sparta was unable to defeat Athens and they countered
with raids on the Peloponnesus from their navy. This phase of the war lasted
until the Peace of Nicias in 421 BC.
The second phase (417-413 BC) of the war was the Sicilian expedition. This
was an army sent by Athens to Sicily to help their allies there in 415 BC. The
Athenian army was wiped out.
The third phase of the war, known as the Decelean (Ionian) War, lasted from
413-404 BC and resulted in the complete victory of Sparta over Athens.
Sparta built a fleet, encouraged revolts from Athens allies, and secured support
from Persia. The Spartan leader Lysander’s victories at Aegospotami (405 BC)
was the end for Athens.
Sparta emerged as the dominant Greek power.
Athens declined as a power.
Sparta’s next challenge came from Thebes who surprisingly defeated the
Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra under the command of Epaminondas.
Thebes briefly became the dominant power.
Philip of Macedon was a prisoner in Thebes and observed first hand the Theban
tactics used at the Battle of Leuctra.
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
The Rise of Macedonia
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Macedonia was traditionally a weak state on the fringes of Greece.
During the Persian wars the Macedonians had allowed Xerses army free passage.
In the Peloponnesian war Macedonia had followed a policy of supporting which
power was winning.
Philip of Macedon, the third son of King Amyntas and Eurydice, was born in
Pella in 382 BC.
Philip was a hostage in Thebes during their victory over the Spartans at the
Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC.
He studied closely the military tactics used by the Thebans and the Sacred
Band.
Philip returned to Macedonia in 364 BC.
His brothers, Alexander and Perdiccas, both Kings, were both assassinated in
palace coups.
Philip became King of Macedonia in 359 BC.
Immediately he put his military ideas into practice.
Philip introduced the phalanx (infantry) into the Macedonian army. He armed
them with a 6 metre two handed pike called a sarissa.
Surrounded by enemies Philip’s problems in 359 BC seemed insurmountable.
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
Philip II
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Philip was surrounded by enemies – the Illyrians to the west, Thessaly to the
south, Thracians and Paionians to the north and east and the Athenian
presence in the Chalcidice.
Philip through a skilful mixture of war, marriage and diplomacy defeated all his
enemies over the next few years.
In 359 BC he defeated the Thracians and Paionians and an Athenian force.
In 358-357 BC he led a successful campaign against the Illyrians.
He married Olympias, a princess of Epirus, in 357 BC, one of his seven wives,
and Alexander was born the following year.
In 357-6 Philip deceived the Athenians and secured the gold and silver mines
at Mount Pangioan and the city of Amphipolis.
Philip took Crenides and the mines there in 356 BC and renamed it Philippi.
Athenian influence was removed from the Chalcidice in 354 BC.
By 353 BC Philip has made a strong, rich, powerful Macedonia master of the
north.
In 352 BC Philip defeated the Phocians in Thessaly. As Phocis was robbing the
Delphic oracle to fund its armies Philip could pose as the champion of Greek
traditions and religion.
The Battle of Crocus Field (352) showed the Macedonians new power but also
their great ruthlessness as up to 3,000 prisoners were later drowned.
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History
Philip II becomes master of Greece
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From 352-346 BC Philip consolidated and secured his gains continuing his army
reforms and training and defeating any local rebels and threats to the throne.
The Athenians resented their earlier defeat at Philip’s hands and their orators
stirred up feeling in Greece against him. Philip responded by financing anti
Athenian movements in Athens colonies.
In 346 BC Philip marched south into Thessaly to successfully arbitrate in the
dispute between Phocis and Thebes.
Philip continued his campaigns in the north with mixed success.
In 338 BC the inevitable war between Athens, Thebes and their Allies against
Macedonia took place at Chaeronea. It was a resounding victory for Macedonia.
Philip set up the League of Corinth in 337 BC – all the Greek states (except
Sparta) had to join and Philip was elected hegemon.
Philip asked the League to sanction an invasion of the Persian Empire – they
agreed.
In 336 BC Philip made preparations to invade Persia – even sending and advance
force when he was assassinated at his daughters wedding in October.
As for Sparta – they refused to surrender to Philip – he sent them a ultimatum
"You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army
into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your
city." Their reply was "If". Both Philip and Alexander left the Spartans alone.
J. Kilroy ~ Greek History