Download The Persian Wars

The Persian Wars
Basics

Who:
 The United Greek City States vs. the
Persians

When:
 499 BCE to 449 BCE (slight lull in between
1st and second wars)

Why:
 The Persian Empire was expanding and
the Greeks resisted conquest.
Background
Athens and Sparta were rivals up until
the on set of the Persian wars.
 Persia was the largest Empire in the
world at this time.

 It was a threat to Greece, especially to its
colonies in Asia Minor.
Background

In the 6th century
BCE (500’s) Persia
conquered Greek
colonies in Ionia
 Some poleis sent aid
to the colonies when
they tried to rebel
against the Persians.
Background

King Cyrus of
Persia
 Gets angry about
rebellion
 Decides to conquer
all of Greece.


Attempts at
conquest cause the
Greek City States
to Unite!
Persia fails…. For
now.
The First Persian War
The 1st Persian War

Emperor Darius I of
Persia
 In 492 BCE decides to
invade and conquer
Greece.

He gathered a huge
army and navy to
launch the invasion.

Battle of Marathon
 After sacking the city of
Eretria the Persian ships
land at the city of
Marathon.
The 1st Persian War

Battle of Marathon
 Greeks were out
numbered 2 to 1!
 When the Persians
began to return to their
ships the Greeks
attacked.
 IT WORKS! THE
GREEKS WIN!
The 1st Persian War

Pheidippides
 Greek messenger
 Ran from Marathon to
Athens (26.6 Miles)
with news of the
victory.
 When he arrived he
shouted “NIKE!”
(Victory) then dies
from exhaustion.
The Second Persian War…. The sequel
The 2nd Persian War

King Xerxes
 Wanted revenge
for the humiliation of
Persia and his
father (Darius)
 He amassed
(raised) a huge
military force to
invade Greece.
 between 200,000
and 400,000 troops,
AND between 700
and 800 warships
The 2nd Persian War
Many Greek poleis in the
Aegean quickly
surrendered to the
advancing Persian army.
 Athens, Sparta, and a few
other poleis formed an
alliance and decided to
stand-up to Xerxes

 It was the Athenian General
Themistocles that convinced
poleis to build a navy to fight
the Persians.
The 2nd Persian War

Sparta was chosen to lead
the alliance
 Makes sense, they were a
military society.

Athens would provide the
majority of the ships for the
battles.
The 2nd Persian War
The Greeks needed time to build their navy.
 They decided to meet the Persians at the mountain
pass at Thermopylae to try and slow them down.

•About 7000 Greek
Soldiers were sent
to face Xerxes
massive army.
•300 were
SPARTANS!!!!!!
The 2nd Persian War

The Battle of
Thermopylae 480
BCE
 Greeks led by King
Leonidas of Sparta
 Battle lasted for
about 7 days.
 In the end the
Persians were able
to defeat the last of
the Spartans when
Ephialtes showed
them away behind
the Greek lines.
The 2nd Persian War

Because the Spartans held Xerxes up
at Thermopylae, the Athenians were
able to assembly the navy.
 It met at Salamis – a narrow strait to the
south of Athens.
The 2nd Persian War
 The Persians found a
Greek that “revealed
the location of the
Greek fleet.
 When the Persians
arrived in the strait
they found
themselves in a
trap.
○ Persian ships were
too big to move
around in the
narrow water way.
The 2nd Persian War
The Greeks had smaller more agile
ships than the Persians.
 They quickly attacked the Persian fleet.
 The Greeks won.

Outcomes of the Wars
The Persians retreat to Asia Minor and
never invade Greece again
 With out the threat of invasion Greece’s
culture flourishes – The Golden Age of
Greece (Classical Greece)

Outcomes of the War



For a period of time
the poleis get along.
Athens becomes a
dominate force in
the region
The Delian League
was created to
protect against
possible future
invasions. (Sparta
did not join)