Download Greece Military Conflict

Greek Military Conflict
(Persian Wars, Peloponnesian War and
Expansion of Alexander the Great)
The Persian War



By 546 BCE Persia had
conquered Lydia in Asia
Minor and acquired
control of the eastern
Greek city statesPersia was led by
Emperors Cyrus and
Darius
City states rebelled
(aided by Athens)
490’s - 480’s BCE
Darius and his son
Xerxes launched 3
invasions
Persian Empire
under Darius

At the Battle of
Marathon- Darius is
defeated.
(historical sidenote)

Plains of Marathon
The traditional origin of
the marathon comes
from the story how a
herald named
Phidippides (Philippedes) ran the 26 miles
from Marathon to
Athens to announce the
Greek victory-he then
died on the spot.
Battle of Thermopylae




480 BCE
300 Spartans led by
Leonidas (and their
allies) hold off the
Persian advance
A new force of Persians
were defeated by
Athenian navy at
Salamis
The folllowing year the
Battle of Plataea ends
the war. Persians give
up.
Persian Invasion 480 BCE
The Peloponnesian War: begins in
431 BC



The Delian League was
dominated by Athens
Resentment arose
(Quarrels between
Athens and Sparta and
her allies)
All this led to disunion
and numerous wars
(until the rise of Philip of
Macedon)
Rise of the Macedonians
(Philip of Macedon)

359 BCE Philip II
comes to power
 Admired Greek
culture
 Recruited and
maintained a regular
army
From a tomb discovered in
1977 believed to be Philip’s
Philip’s Military

Infantry- fought in
the phalanx but he
added…
 Cavalry
 Archers
The Phalanx
The end of Philip II
of Macedon

The Greek’s had
mixed views of him
(but he ultimately
led to continuation
of Greek culture)
 By 338 BCE he had
conquered the
Greek city states
 He was
assassinated in 336
BCE
Alexander the Great

Philip II’s son
 Son of Zeus?!
 Trained in the military
and taught by Aristotle
 Between 331 and 323
BCE he conquered the
land from Egypt and
Asia Minor to the
borders of India
Alexander the Great (from a Roman fresco
in Pompeii)
Alexander the Great’s Empire
Alexander’s Empire

Spread Greek culture
(the time between
Alexander’s death and
Rome’s conquest of
Greece in 146 BCE is
the Hellenistic Age)
 Integrated Persians and
Greeks
 Wanted to rule as a
“god-king”
 Greek language
became important for
trade
 Died at the age of 33 in
323 BCE