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The Persian Wars
Greek city-states often fought each other
over land and trade. In the 400s B.C., the
Greek city-states joined together to fight
against Persia.
Darius I, the leader of the Persian Empire,
dreamed of conquering the Greek city-states
and creating a giant empire. He sent a large
army across land and sea. Lucky for the
Greeks, a giant storm destroyed his boats.
Two years later, Darius I attacked again.
Again, Persia was unsuccessful. The smaller
Greek army trapped and defeated the Persians.
Later, Darius I’s son Xerxes took about
200,000 soldiers and more than 600 ships to
attack Greece. The Greeks were outnumbered,
and at a small mountain pass called
Thermopylae, the Spartans fought the
Persians until the last Spartan solider died. In
the end, the Persians broke through the Greek
defenses and set Athens on fire.The Battle of
Thermopylae was the inspiration for the action
movie 300!!
The Persians and the Greeks also fought
the Battle of Salamis on the seas. There were
more Persian ships than Greek ships, but the
Persian ships were too big and thy couldn’t
move quickly. The smaller, faster Greek ships
sank the Persians boats. Xerxes had been
defeated. The Persian army went home.
The Greeks were able to defeat the
Persians, because they created a team called
the Delian League. 150 city-states were a part
of this alliance (meaning, friendship). They
worked together to fight the Persians. They
also paid money to Athens. In return, Athens
promised to protect the city-states with its
powerful navy. Athens grew very rich. These
payments helped Athens rebuild at the end of
the Persian Wars.
Historians call the period of time after the
Greek victories the Classical Age of Greece.
During the classical age, artists, poets,
sculptors and architects developed a very
special culture. People today are still
influenced by their achievements! We will
learn more about these gifts from the Greeks in
Chapter 8 Lesson 2.
During this Classical Age, Sparta and
Athens were the two most powerful city-states
(poli). Sparta was a strict military power that
did not like traveling and visitors. Athens was
a port city whose trading ships traveled
throughout the Mediterranean Sea. In time,
the fighting between Sparta and Athens would
lead of the end of the Classical Age . This war,
and the end of the Classical Age, will be
discussed in greater detail in Chapter 8 Lesson
3: Times of Conflict.
Remembering Facts.
1. Who did the Greek city-states fight against during the Persian Wars?
2. What were the names of the Persian leaders who lead attacks against the Greeks?
3. The movie 300, was based on what famous battle?
a. Who won this battle?
4. What Greek city did the Persians set on fire?
5. What was the name of the group of city-states that worked together to beat the Persians?
a. What city-state was in charge of this league?
6. Who won the Persian Wars? The Greeks or the Persians?
Illustrate. Draw a 3 box comic strip showing the important battles or events of the Persian
wars. You could include: Darius I’s first or second attack, Xerxes’s attack at Thermopylae, the
Greek and Persian boats fighting during the Battle of Salamis, the Delian League, the Classical Age,
or Athens and Sparta fighting at the end of the Classical Age.
This is a picture of:
This is a picture of:
This is a picture of:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Democracy and the Golden Age in Athens
Around 508 B.C., Athens became a
democracy. This meant that citizens, not a
king, made decisions about the government.,
but Athenian government wasn’t perfect. Only
wealthy men over the age of 18 were allowed
to vote.
advancements in art, poetry, education,
philosophy, science, mathematics, and
medicine. Today, more than 2000 years later,
people are still influences by these
contributions. You will learn more about the
“Gifts of the Greeks” in Chapter 8 Lesson 2.
In 461 B.C. Pericles changed the Athenian
government. He believed that all people, rich
or poor, should be able to participate in
government. He thought that all free born men
had the right and responsibility to serve their
government. Women were still not included.
Pericles was a great leader. He wanted
Athens to be a shining example of Greek
culture. He began making Athens a center of
art and learning. He hired the best architects
and builders to create schools, government
buildings, and temples out of shining white
marble. It was Pericles, who ordered the
construction of the Parthenon, a large temple
to the goddess Athena. He also hired artists to
tell Athens’s history in paintings, statues,
plays, and poetry.
Remembering Facts.
1. Who was allowed to participate in
Athenian Democracy?
2. What were 3 acheivements of Pericles?
The Parthenon today
Pericles led Athens for 40 years. This
period of time is often called the Golden Age,
Classical Age, or the Age of Pericles. During
this period of time, great architects, artisits,
and playwrights made great contributions to
Greek culture. Greeks also made great
3. Why is this period of time sometimes
known as the Golden Age?
Greek Gifts
Art and Architecture As you read page 325, fill in the blanks with the missing words
Pericles directed architects and builders to create many beautiful structures. People use
these same
for modern buildings.
In the center of the
of Athens, Pericles oversaw the
building of a magnificent temple, the
, which honored the goddess
Athena. Completed in 438 B.C., the Parthenon took 9 years to build and required more than
22,000 tons of
. Its architecture expressed balance and
simplicity, qualities valued by the Greeks. Many modern buildings, such as the ____________________
in Washington, D.C., use designs based on the architecture
of Greek temples.
Statues of
and of people decorated Greek
building, both inside and outside. Never before had statues been created to look
so
.
Greek painters took the same care to portray people and scenes
. Artists decorated building with murals, or
, showing lifelike scenes from Athens’s history and from
Greek myths.
Paintings on ancient vases provide evidence of the skill of Greek artists. Using black or
red paint, artists decorated the vases with scenes from Greek
and from their own
. By carefully observing these vases, we can see how
people dresses, how they wore their hair, and even what they ate.
Illustrate it. Study the pictures on pages 314, 325, 332 & 338 of your textbooks. Design a
building in the style of the Greek architects.
Greek Gifts Continued
Literature and Theater Answer the questions as you read pages 326 & 327
1. What did Homer write?
2. Why are these epics famous?
3. What do Aesop’s fables teach?
4. Why do we call a book of maps an Atlas?
5. Theatre comes from the Greek word that means “a place to see.” Greeks watched two types
of shows at the theatre: comedies and tragedies. What do these words mean?
a. Comedy:
b. Tragedy:
6. How was Greek theatre different than theatre today?
Illustrate it. Draw what you might see at a Greek theatre. Try to include as many details as
possible from the reading. Write 1 sentence about your picture.
Draw your picture here.
This is a picture of:
Greek Gifts Continued
Science, Mathematics & History Fill in the blanks as you read page 328 in your textbook
Even before the Golden Age of Athens, the Greeks had begun
questions old ways of thinking. Their ideas led to the dawn
(beginning) of
, or logical, thought in
science,
, history, and philosophy.
Some ancient Greek thinkers doubted that gods and goddesses
caused event in nature, as many other Greeks believed. Instead, these thinkers sought to
the world by
it carefully.
Ancient Greek scientist worked in much the
way that modern scientists do.
They used scientific methods to develop
. This led to new
discoveries that changed the way people saw the
.
Read the rest of pages 328 – 331. Complete the chart as you read. List the most important
details about each
Hippocrates
Herodotus
Socrates
Aristotle
Hippocrates was a:
Herodotus was a:
Socrates was a:
Aristotle was a:
Scientists
Scientists
Scientists
Scientists
Historian
Historian
Historian
Historian
Philosopher
Philosopher
Philosopher
Philosopher
Hippocrates is
famous because he:
Herodotusis famous
because he:
Socratesis famous
because he:
Aristotleis famous
because he:
Times of Conflict: The Peloponnesian Wars
Fill in the blanks as you read page 335 in your textbook.
In the 400s B.C., Athens and Sparta were the most powerful of all the Greek city-states.
Still, neither city-state was
. The leader of Athens wanted even
greater power over the other
. The leaders of Sparta feared
that Athens would become stronger than their own city-state. This rivalry led to a long series of
battles known as the

.
Athens placed the city-states of the
under an
Athenian Empire. (This league was an alliance of city-states who were loyal to Athens,
paid money to Athens, and were protected by Athens)

Pericles invested money in Athens’s
. Having such a powerful
allowed Athens to pressure more city-states to come under its rule.

The Spartans were alarmed. In 460 B.C. the tensions between Sparta and Athens
exploded into

.
Finally, in 445 B.C. both sides grew
.
Athens and Sparta signed a peace treaty called the Thirty Years’ Peace. Unfortunately,
this agreement did not lead to lasting peace between Athens and Sparta.
Review. What do you know about Athens and Sparta? How were they similar? How were
they different?
Only Athens
Both Athens and Sparta
Only Sparta
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o