Transcript Persian Wars - Harrisburg Academy Blog

Key Terms
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Persia
Persian Wars
Herodotus
Darius I
The Royal Highway
Miltiades
Pheidippides
Hoplon, hoplites
Phalanx
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Niki
Marathon
Themistocles
Xerxes
Pass of Thermopylae
Leonidas
Salamis
Triremes
The Mighty Persian Empire
The Persian Wars
• For the first time, Greek city-states joined
forces to defend against the invading
Persians
– Persia was an ancient Asian civilization
founded by nomads in present-day Iran
• How do we know so much
about the Persian Wars?
– Herodotus – “Father of History”
Cyrus the Great
He established the Persian
empire
 Spanned 3 continents
 Well-organized government
 Large army
580 – 529 B. C. E.
A tolerant ruler  he allowed
different cultures within his
empire to keep their own
institutions.
Darius the Great
(526 – 485 B. C. E.)
 Persian
king
 Built the great Royal Road
system.
 Led the invasion of Greece
at Marathon
Persian “Royal Road”
Darius the Great
 Built Persepolis.
 He extended the
Persian Empire
Built a canal in Egypt
Established a complex
postal system.
 Created a network of
spies called “the King’s
eyes and ears.”
Ancient Persepolis
Persepolis
The People of Persepolis
The Ionian Revolt
• Darius imposed a tax (tribute) and
military service on those he
conquered
• Aristagoras, ruler of Miletus, led a
revolt against the Persians. Why?
– They didn’t want to pay the tax
– They didn’t want to serve in the
Persian army
Why did the Persians invade Greece?
In 519 B.C. the Persians
conquered a group of people
who lived in Asia Minor called
the Ionian Greeks.
In 499 B.C. the Ionian
Greeks asked the
mainland Greeks to help
them rebel against the
Persians.
AGH!
Those Greeks
will pay for
this
We’re on
the way
Help!
Athens and Eretria sent
warships to help them.They
plundered Sardis.
This made the Persian King, Darius, very angry
with Greece. He burned Miletus five years later.
Darius Seeks Vengeance
• Darius sends envoys to Greece
– What happened to them?
• Darius sails again
– He wanted to destroy Eretria & Athens
The Greeks Prepare
• Miltiades
– Greek general
– Knows they need the help of the Spartans
• Pheidippides
– Messenger sent to Sparta
• Spartans
– They won’t help; they are in the
middle of a festival for Apollo
• Plataea
– They send 600 men to help
The Greek Advantages
• Foot soldiers well armed
– Six-foot spear, sword
– Bronze armor, Hoplon (shield)
• Battle formation
– Phalanx – one row of men directly
behind another
– Moved as a single unit
– Well-trained
• Other Greek advantage?
Persian Advantages
• Their large
numbers
• They are
amazing
archers
The Battle Begins
• Miltiades has 11,000 men
• Persians have over
20,000
• Strategy of Miltiades
– Block the exits
– Charge at the Persians
• Made it harder for the Persian archers
The Battle Begins, continued
• Greeks able to defeat the Persian wings
• Come around and surround the Persians
Persians retreated
– Some drowned in the salt marsh
– Others made it back to their ships
Battle at Marathon
The Greeks only lost 203 men,
compared to the Persians’ 6,400.
The Greek dead were buried in a
common grave, seen here.
Marathon
• The Greeks sent their fastest runner
Pheidippides to carry home news of the
victory.
• Same guy who ran to Sparta
• He sprinted 26.2 miles from the
battle site to the city-state of
Athens.
• He arrived and said, “Niki!” then died
from exhaustion
• The modern marathon race is named after
this event.
The Battle Begins, continued
• After the victory at Marathon, the Greek
army went to defend Athens
– Persians retreated to Asia
• Greek hoplites proved they could win
against a strong opponent
• Knew Persians would be back
– 31 city-states formed an alliance called the
Panhellenic League
– Built a large navy at the direction of
Themistocles
Preparing for Round II
• The Greek ruler Themistocles knew this was a
temporary victory.
• He encouraged the Athenians to build up their fleet
and prepare for battle with the Persians.
• Sparta took charge of the army.
• Athens took charge of the navy
The Persians Return
• Xerxes
– Darius’ son
– Vowed to avenge his father’s loss at
Marathon
• Invades Europe in 480 B.C.E.
– Largest army ever assembled (180,000)
– Army made up of people from all over the
empire
• Babylonians, Armenians, Lydians, Syrians,
Egyptians, Libyans, and Cypriots
The Persians Return, continued
• Crossing the Hellespont
– Double pontoon bridge
– How was this made?
– Took the army of Xerxes
7 days and 7 nights to
cross
– Supplied by ships
following
along the coast
The Persians Return, continued
• Back to the Greeks
– Went to the Oracle of Delphi
– Pythia predicted disaster!
• Claimed the only hope lay in “the wooden
walls.”
– Wooden fence around the Acropolis?
– Sides of the ships?
The Battle of Thermopylae
• Athens=navy
– Commanded by Themistocles
• Sparta=army
– Commanded by Leonidas
• Greeks aim to stop the Persians at the
Pass of Thermopylae
– Narrow pass, where the
hoplites could hold the
Persians back
King Leonidas
“So much the better.
We can fight in the shade!”
• Led an army of 8,000 soldiers
• Greek navy tried to keep
Persian fleet from being able to
resupply the army
• Persians attacked on Day 5
• Leonidas and his men able to
hold their position for two days
Xerxes Gets Help
• Ephialtes
– Greek traitor
– Led Persians on a path to
the rear of the Greeks
• Persians easily defeat
Leonidas’ rear guard
• Leonidas sends all but his
own 300 men away…”we
shall dine in the kingdom
of Hades!”
• A Small Spartan force of about 300 men commanded
by King Leonidas, guarded the mountain pass of
Thermopylae.
• They held out heroically against the enormous Persian
force for three days.
• They were defeated, but won valuable time for the
rest of the Greeks.
• Their courage inspired the rest of the Greek army.
The Destruction of Athens
• Persians move on to Athens, but it’s
deserted
– They killed anyone who was still there
– Burned the temples and Athena’s olive
tree
• Why is the olive tree a symbol of
resilience?
• Athenians had fled to Salamis
and Troezen
– They could only watch as they saw their
city burn
The Battle of Salamis
• Greeks fled here, knew Persians were
coming
• Themistocles had a plan
– Sent a “traitor” to Xerxes
– “Traitor” told Xerxes the
Greeks were afraid, ready to
retreat
– Xerxes ordered the attack
– Expected an easy win
Triremes
• Greek ships
– Three banks for 14 ft. oars
– 170 rowers per ship
– Kept in time by listening to flute
– Metal battering-ram used to destroy enemy
boats
• Greeks rowed fast hit other ships with batteringram; but not too fast, not too slow
• This creating a large hole in the enemy ship,
causing it to sink
• Soldiers from the sinking ships then attacked
Battle of Salamis, continued
• Greeks were outnumbered,
but knew the waterway well
• Greek ships backed up as
Persians approached
• Persians trapped in the
narrow strait, Greeks
attacked and won
The End of the War
• Persians retreated
• Persian messengers spread the news
– “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stayed these couriers
from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
• Xerxes left part of his army behind to attack
again
– Left his brother-in-law, Mardonius, in charge
– Fight at Plataea
• Pausanias (Spartan king) led the outnumbered
Greeks to victory
• Mardonius was killed
• Greek navy defeated Persians at Mycale
Persian Wars: Famous Battles
 Marathon (490 BCE)
26 miles from Athens
 Thermopylae (480 BCE)
300 Spartans at the Mountain
pass
 Salamis (480 BCE)
Athenian navy victorious