Download Holt McDougal

The Big Idea
Over time the Persians came to rule a great empire
which eventually brought them into conflict with the
Greeks.
Main Ideas

Persia became an empire under Cyrus the Great.

The Persian Empire grew stronger under Darius I.

The Persians fought Greece twice in the Persian Wars.
Holt McDougal,
 Cyrus
the Great won independence for Persia
from the Medes, marking the beginning of the
Persian Empire.
 Cyrus
conquered many people but let them
keep their own customs.
 This
kept people from rebelling against his
strong empire.
Holt McDougal,
The army
was
composed
of
Immortals,
which were
10,000
soldiers
chosen for
their
bravery and
skill.
The army
also had a
cavalry, a
unit of
soldiers who
ride horses.
Cyrus used
the cavalry
to charge at
and shoot
enemies
with arrows.
Holt McDougal,
This army was
strong
because it
was well
organized and
loyal.
Together the
components
of the army
could defeat
almost any
enemy.
Within
four years of Cambyses’
death, a young prince named Darius
I claimed the throne.
He
killed all his rivals for power and
then worked to restore order in
Persia.
Holt McDougal,

Darius organized the empire into 20 provinces, each
led by a governor called a satrap. They collected
taxes, served as judges, and put down rebellions.

He built many roads that connected various parts of
the empire.

He also built a new capital, called Persepolis.

During his rule a new religion arose, called
Zoroastrianism.


This religion taught that two forces were fighting in
the universe: a good force and an evil force.
Darius expanded the empire by conquering the entire
Indus Valley.
Holt McDougal,
Darius
was angry that the Greeks had
aided a revolt against the Persians, so he
invaded Greece in a series of battles
known as the Persian Wars.
Greece
won these battles because it had
better weapons and more clever leaders.
Holt McDougal,
Years
later, Xerxes I tried to conquer
Greece again, this time joined by the
Persian navy.
The
Spartans slowed the Persian army at
Thermopylae, giving Greece enough time
to gain the upper hand and eventually
beat the Persians at Plataea, ending the
Persian Wars.
Holt McDougal,
Holt McDougal,
Sparta and Athens
The Big Idea
The two most powerful city-states in Greece, Sparta and
Athens, had very different cultures and became bitter
enemies in the 400s BC.
Main Ideas
• The Spartans built a military society to provide security
and protection.
• The Athenians admired the mind and the arts in addition
to physical abilities.
• Sparta and Athens fought over who should have power
and influence in Greece.
Holt McDougal,
 Daily
life in Sparta was dominated by the army, and
boys were trained from an early age to be soldiers.
 Spartan men reached full citizenship at age 30 and
could then move back home, but they stayed in the
army until they turned 60.
 Courage, strength, self-discipline, and obedience were
the most important qualities to have.
 Because men were often at war, women had more
rights than other Greek women.
 They ran the household and owned property.
 They also received physical training and sometimes
competed with men in sporting events.
Holt McDougal,
Sparta
was officially ruled by two kings
who jointly led the army, but elected
officials actually had more power than
the kings.
These
officials handled dealings between
Sparta and other city-states.
Sparta’s
government was set up to
control the city’s helots, or slaves.
Holt McDougal,
Boys and Men in Athens
• Sparta’s main rival in Greece was Athens.
• Though they also worked to improve their bodies, they had to
devote only two years to the army.
• They learned to read, write, count, and sing.
• Wealthy boys continued their education with a private tutor.
• Boys from poor families usually became farmers.
Girls and Women in Athens
• Unlike boys, girls received almost no education,
because men did not think they needed to be educated.
• Athenian women had fewer rights than women in many
other city-states; in fact, they hardly had any at all.
Holt McDougal,

Sparta and Athens worked together to win the Persian
Wars.

After the Persian Wars, city-states joined an alliance,
which historians call the Delian League.


“Alliance” means they agreed to work together.
Sparta formed its own alliance, called the
Peloponnesian League.
Holt McDougal,
• Sparta declared
war on Athens,
starting the
Peloponnesian
War.
• The war lasted
for ten years
before they
decided to call a
truce.
• The war started
up once more
when Athens
tried to expand
its empire. The
Spartans won.
• With the defeat
of Athens, Sparta
became the most
powerful citystate in Greece.
Holt McDougal,
• Other city-states
started to resent
Sparta, leading
to a period of
war.
• Control of Greece
shifted from one
city-state to
another for
years.
Alexander the Great
The Big Idea
Alexander the Great built a huge empire and
helped spread Greek culture into Egypt and
Asia.
Main Ideas
• Macedonia conquered Greece in the 300s BC.
• Alexander the Great built an empire that united
much of Europe, Asia, and Egypt.
• The Hellenistic kingdoms formed from
Alexander’s empire blended Greek and other
cultures.
Holt McDougal,
• Phillip II became
king of
Macedonia and
targeted Greece
for an invasion.
• He beat Athens,
and the rest of
Greece agreed to
make him their
leader after
seeing Athens’s
defeat.
• Phillip was a
brilliant military
leader.
• His soldiers
fought as a
phalanx with
spears that were
longer than the
Greeks.
• He also had a
cavalry and
archers
supporting the
phalanx.
Holt McDougal,
•When
Phillip
died, his
throne and
his plans
were
passed on
to his son,
Alexander.

Alexander began his rule by ending the revolt in Thebes, setting an
example to the Greeks not to rebel.

He then set out to build an empire and earned the name
Alexander the Great.

He went on to conquer Egypt and was crowned pharaoh without a
fight.

He then defeated Persia and became the ruler of the Persian
Empire.

Alexander wanted to push into India, but his troops were
exhausted and refused to go. He began the march home, but died
from sickness before making it back to Greece.
Holt McDougal,

Alexander’s empire was the largest the world had ever
seen.

An admirer of Greek culture, he worked to spread it
throughout his empire.

He encouraged Greek settlers to move to the new
cities he conquered.


These settlers passed along the language and
culture of Greece.
Alexander also encouraged people to keep their own
culture, so Greek and native customs blended.
Historians call the culture Hellenistic, or Greek-like.
Holt McDougal,
• After Alexander
died, his
generals fought
for power and
divided the
empire among
themselves.
• The three
kingdoms were
Macedonia,
Greece, and
Syria.
• Macedonia had
the weakest
government and
had to put down
Greek revolts.
• Syria was
weakened by
rebellions.
• Egypt, especially
Alexandria,
became a great
cultural center.
Holt McDougal,
•Each
empire
was
eventually
taken over
by the
Romans.
Greek Achievements
The Big Idea
Ancient Greeks made lasting contributions in the
arts, philosophy, and science.
Main Ideas
• The Greeks made great contributions to the arts.
• The teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
are the basis of modern philosophy.
• In science, the Greeks made key discoveries in
math, medicine, and engineering.
Holt McDougal,

Greek statues look as though they could come to life at
any time, because Greek artists wanted to show how
beautiful people could be.

Greek paintings are known for their realism and detail.

The Greeks made temples with rows of tall columns
rounded in the middle so they appear perfectly
straight.
 The Parthenon was their most impressive temple.

The Greeks excelled at writing.
 They created dramas, or plays.
 The Greeks were the first to write about history.
Holt McDougal,


Socrates taught by asking questions, a technique we
call the Socratic method.

He wanted people to question their beliefs and look
for knowledge. This angered and frightened people.

He was arrested and condemned to death for
questioning the authority of the gods.
Plato and Aristotle followed after Socrates in their
pursuit for knowledge and deeper understanding.
Holt McDougal,
 Plato
had been a
student of Socrates.
created a school,
the Academy, to
discuss ideas.
 Aristotle
student.
 Plato
 He
 He
 He
also wrote The
Republic, which
described his ideal
society.
Holt McDougal,
was Plato’s
taught about living
life in moderation, or
balance.
believed
moderation was based
on reason, or clear
and ordered thinking.
 Euclid
spent his life studying mathematics,
especially geometry.
 Greek
doctors studied the human body to
understand how it worked.
 Hippocrates
was a Greek doctor known for his
ideas about how doctors should behave.
 Engineers
like Archimedes made great
discoveries, such as the water screw, which
brought water to the fields.
Holt McDougal,