Download The Trojan, Persian, and Peloponnesian Wars

The Trojan, Persian, and
Peloponnesian Wars
…or how Greece evolved from
bickering city-states into a more
unified empire.
The Trojan War
• Who: Early Greeks and the People of Troy
• When: 12th or 13th Century BCE
• Where: Troy in Western Anatolia
• Why: Paris, the Trojan Prince, kidnapped
Queen Helen of Sparta.
The Trojan War
• How: Despite 10 Years of fighting, the Greeks still
couldn’t get into the city walls of Troy. The
Greeks constructed a horse, and about 30 men
hid inside. Then most of the Greeks sailed away.
The Trojans pulled the horse into the city and
when night came, the Greek soldiers burst out,
signaled the ships, and conquered Troy.
The Trojan War
• Outcome: Troy was destroyed. When the
Greeks returned home, the political and social
unrest led to the destruction of their large
cities. Because of the instability, many of the
Greek people turned to piracy and raiding.
The Trojan Horse
• Video:
http://kinooze.com/the-trojan-horse/
Map of Greece and Surrounding Area
circa 12th century BCE
The Persian Wars
• Who: The Persian Empire, ruled by Darius I
and Ancient Greece led by Athens & Sparta
• When: 490-479 BCE
• Where: Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and
Plataea all in Greece.
• Why: Bragging rights for conquering Greece,
revenge for Greece’s attack on Sardis, & to
stop the Greek backed rebellions on the
western edge of the empire
The Persian Wars
• How: Darius sent an envoy asking the Greeks
to surrender. The Greeks killed the envoy
(more forceful way of saying ‘no’. Darius then
sent 600 ships and 25,000 men to attack
Greece’s neighbors.
– 4 Major Battles: Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis,
and Plataea.
Phalanx
The Persian Wars
The Persian War
• Outcome: The Greeks defeated the Persian
army in Ionia, and reclaimed the Ionian States.
The Greek city-states formed the Delian
Alliance to ward off future Persian attacks.
Athens and Sparta both continued to gain
power, and a common enemy allowed a Greek
identity and culture to emerge.
The Peloponnesian War
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Who: Athens & Sparta
When: 431-404 BCE
Where: Throughout GreeceWhy: Athens had grown rich and powerful
handling the money for the Delian League.
The Athenians ran their city as a democracy,
but treated the other Greek city-states as if
they were colonies.
The Peloponnesian War
• How: Thebes ( a Spartan ally) attacked Plataea
(an Athenian ally) and this started the war.
• Sparta led an army into Attica. The Spartan Army
was better, so the Athenians stayed inside the city
walls.
• A plague swept through Athens killing Pericles, an
important leader, and large parts of the army and
civilians.
• The Spartans couldn’t win Athens, but as
Athenian controlled city-states revolted, the
Athenians accepted the Spartan offer of peace.
The Peloponnesian War (cont.)
• The Peace of Nicias lasted from 421-415.
• In 415 the Athenians invaded Sicily.
• In 413 the Spartans defeated and destroyed
both the Athenian Army and Navy.
• In 411 Athenian democracy was overthrown
but the navy was rebuilt
• In 405 the Spartans (aided by the Persians)
defeated Athens by starving the city with a
blockade.
The Peloponnesian War
• Outcome: Athens lost it’s political power and
no longer controlled other city-states.
Despite this, the Athenian cultural life was still
flourishing. As Athenian power continued to
decline, Greece was conquered by the
Macedonian kings Philip II and his son,
Alexander the Great.