Transcript The Persian Empire

WELCOME BACK!!!!
Writing
Prompt: G16: Write down
and analyze the following quote:
“Education is a progressive discovery of
our own ignorance.” Will Durant
 Homework: G17: Summarize the days
notes AND write 3 Level 2 questions
about the day’s lecture.
The First Major Leader of Persia
 Cyrus
the Great ruled from
580 – 529 B. C. E.
 Cyrus set up a policy of
tolerance (acceptance)
 he allowed different
cultures within his
empire to keep their
own institutions.
A tolerant ruler
 He freed the Jews from the
Babylonians and allowed
over 40,000 to return to
Palestine (Caanan/Israel)
 The Jews called him “the
anointed of the Lord.”
Cyrus the Great Dies
 After
some fighting
amongst generals, Darius
the Great took over.
 He ruled from 522 BCE
to 486 BCE.
Darius the Great
 He
extended the Persian
Empire to the Indus River in
northern India. (2 mil. s.q.
mi.)
 He built the capital city of
Persepolis
 He built a canal from the
Nile River to the Red Sea
Ancient Persepolis
Persepolis
The People of Persepolis
Darius the Great
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Established a tax-collecting system.
Divided the empire into districts
called SATRAPIES (provinces)
Built the great Royal Road system.
Established a complex postal
system.
Created a network of spies called
“the King’s eyes and ears.”
Xerxes
When Darius died, his son took over.
 Xerxes does not have a policy of tolerance for the
cultures of conquered peoples.

Why did the Persians invade Greece?
 In
519 B.C.E. the Persians conquered a group of
people who lived in Asia Minor called the Ionian
Greeks.
 In 499 B.C.E. the Ionian Greeks asked the mainland
Greeks to help them rebel against the Persians.
Athens Gets Involved:
 Athens
sent warships to help them, but they
were not strong enough to defeat the Persian
navy.
 The interference of the Athenians made the
Persian King, Darius, very angry with Greece
 So In 490 B.C.E. Darius sent 600 ships and
thousands of soldiers to invade Greece. He
wanted to punish the Athenians for helping
the rebels.
Persian
Empire
The Fight
 The
Persian army landed at Marathon, north
of Athens, in 490 B.C.E.
 The Persians greatly outnumbered the Greeks.
 The Persians were amazed at the strong will
of the small Athenian force. They had no
horses or archers, only fierce foot soldiers.
 After a few days, the Persians decided to
attack Athens by sea.
 While they were loading their ships, the
Athenians attacked and defeated them.
 The Persians Retreated.
Return of the Persians
 In
480 B.C. E. Xerxes sent a larger force to
conquer Greece.
 He
sent 200,000 soldiers and nearly 1,000
ships.
 By
this time Athens had convinced Sparta to
join them in battle. Twenty Greek city-states
joined together to meet the Persian invaders.
A Small Spartan force of about 300 men commanded by
King Leonidas, guarded the mountain pass of
Thermopylae.
They held out for three days.
They were betrayed when someone told the Persians
how to get in behind the army.
They were defeated, but won valuable time for the rest
of the Greeks.
Battle at Salamis
•The Persians marched south after their victory at
Thermopylae and destroyed the city of Athens.
•The Athenians had already moved to Salamis, a
small nearby island.
•More than 800 Persian ships attacked the Athenian
navy near the island.
•The large Persian ships could not maneuver in the
water. The smaller Greek ships destroyed them.
Three of Five
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
On what three continents were the
Persian Empire located?
What were satrapies?
Name two of the leaders of the Persian
Empire.
Who came to the aid of the Ionian
Greeks?
At the Battle of Salamis why did the
Greeks win?