Download The Great Persian Wars If you were there

The Great Persian Wars
If you were there...
Your country, Greece, is taking the role of the underdog in the war against the mighty conquerors,
Persia. As you march into battle, you catch your first glimpse of the enemy, looking vicious and murderous
with their bows at the ready. You gulp down the fear rising in your throat and march forward in your
phalanx, ready for anything that comes your way.
Ionian rebels spark the fire
Persia was an almighty, powerful country and
had conquered many of the countries surrounding
them. The Ionians were no exception to this rule, but
they were the only ones who dared rebel against the
rulers of Asia. In 499BC, the Ionians began their
rebellion which had Darius, ruler of Persia, fuming.
Athens sent their countrymen 20 triremes to aid them
against the Persians, but this generosity was in vain as
the Persians went on to win. But the Greeks did their
damage, burning down the capital of Lydia which, at the time,
was a part of the Persian Empire.
Greek Soldiers of the Persian War
The Persians are back
Darius was plotting away once again and sent 600 ships to sail to Greece. The vast fleet of Persian
ships arrived at Marathon, 25 miles away from Athens, and immediately assembled for battle. Athens
asked Sparta for assistance but the warriors of Greece declined, claiming they were in the process of a
religious festival. So the small Athenian army devised a strategy which, even though they 'lost', cost the
Persian 6400 men and themselves only 192. They sent a runner to Athens to send news of the victory
which sparked the term 'marathon', an
Olympic event, as the runner ran the
distance of the current race.
The Epic Stand of Sparta
Before Darius could finally plan
his awaited revenge, death took him
which put his son, the proud and
impatient Xerxes, in charge of the most
powerful empire in the world. Xerxes
spent time rebuilding a bridge which
The phalanx battle formation created a famed
connected Greece and the Persian Empire so he could get his
defensive stand in the Battle of Thermopylae
troops into enemy territory easily. His plan succeeded and
the Persians marched across into Greece. However, the only
way they could pass into the inhabited land was through a narrow passageway which was currently being
guarded by Greek soldiers.
But a traitor showed them an unguarded path through the mountains and the Persians got into
Greece. The Greeks, having heard of this treachery, sent 300 Spartan soldiers led by brave Leonidas to fight
the Persians, and the Spartans fought until the last man dropped dead. The Persians then advanced to
Athens and set fire to it using flame-covered arrows.
The Greeks’ Brilliant Strategy
The Athenian navy was able to draw the large Persian
boats into tight sea quarters, which resulted in great
loses and an eventual surrender.
After their costly victory, the Persians moved on to
trap the Greek navy in a narrow pass between Attica and
Salamis. The Greek leader, Themistocles, devised a brilliant
strategy which lured the big and heavy Persian ships into
the narrow passage of water and using the smaller and
lighter Greek boats to ram the other boats, causing them to
sink. The 200 Persian ships were damaged beyond repair
and cowardly Xerxes ran away. The Greeks were, in the end,
victorious. A treaty was signed thirty years later, thus
officially ending the brutal Persian Wars.
Think About It
1. What proved to be Greece's greatest weapon in the wars?
2. In what ways was Greece considered lesser than Persia, and vice versa?
Feature Article Images
Soldiers:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Greek_soldiers_of_Greco%E2%80%93Persian_Wars.
png/797px-Greek_soldiers_of_Greco%E2%80%93Persian_Wars.png
Phalanx: http://s9.beta.photobucket.com/user/zarax/media/milpha.jpg.html
Salamis Map: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Battle_of_Salamis,_480_BC.gif
Helpful Links for Further Studies
http://greece.mrdonn.org/persianwars.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McwmRQUTfKk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McwmRQUTfKk
Mr. Donn’s history websites are student friendly
introductions to some of the more difficult, yet
incredibly interesting, topics in history such as the
Persian War.
This video provides great insight into Hoplite warfare
and the phalanx formation.
History channel has an archive of special programs on
each battle of the Persian War. This link highlights the
classic battle of Marathon in three parts.
Sources
(upload Noodletools sources – minimum: 1 print, 1 electronic)