Transcript Clash of the Titans: The Persian Wars - WLPCS Middle School

CLASH OF THE TITANS:
THE PERSIAN WARS
Previously…
 500 BC: A rebellion against Darius in Ionia is
supported by the Greek city-state of Athens
 492 BC: Darius launches an invasion of
Greece
 490 BC: The Greeks and the Persians meet at
the Battle of Marathon
The Contenders
The Persians
The Greeks
 100,000 Infantry
 9,000-10,000 Athenians
 Some say 200,000-600,000
 1,000 Cavalry
 1,000 Plataeans
 Total: 101,000
 Total: 11,000
The Hoplite
Arms and Armor
 Greek soldiers were called hoplites – heavily
armored infantry (foot soldiers)
 Hoplites come from the Greek word hoplon –
the round battle shield the soldiers carried
 Hoplites fight in the phalanx – a rectangular
formation where soldiers stand shoulder to
shoulder
The Phalanx Formation
The Immortals
The Immortals
 The Immortals were heavy, Persian infantry
shock troops that generally wore black tiaras
that covered their faces
 They are called Immortals because there
were never less than 10,000 of them
 A sick, injured, or dead Immortal was immediately
replaced to maintain the unit
The Battle of Marathon
 Darius wants revenge for Athens aiding the
rebellion against him
 He’s so angry he orders one of his servants to
stand next to him during his meals and say “Sire,
remember the Athenians.”
 Darius’ army lands at Marathon and is
defeated
 Pheidippedes runs 26 miles back to Athens to
shout “Nike-Victory! We win!” before collapsing
dead
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble
 Persia is humiliated by the defeat at
Marathon
 First crack in the invincible Persian military
machine
 Darius I dies before he can launch a second
invasion
 After seeing the defeat at Marathon, rebellions
break out all over the Persian Empire
 Darius’ son Xerxes intends to destroy Athens
Xerxes may have been
(a little) Crazy
Xerxes tried to cross the Hellespont, a strait of water
between Europe and Asia
 A storm came up and sank his bridge
 Orders his men to whip the Hellespont and beat the
river to death
 Even had his men throw handcuffs into the water
 “You hateful water, our master lays his judgment on you
thus, for you have unjustly punished him even though he's
done you no wrong! Xerxes the king will pass over you,
whether you wish it or not! It is fitting that no man offer you
sacrifices, for you're a muddy and salty river!” – Xerxes
(Herodotus, Histories)
The Battle of Thermopylae,
480 BC
 Along with Marathon, this is one of the most
important battles in human history
 Themistocles, an Athenian general, learns
from Marathon that the way to defeat Persia
is with the navy
 Appeals to Sparta for help
 Athens will fight the naval war, Sparta the land
war
 Sparta answers the call
Leonidas and the 300
300 Spartans
 Leonidas, King of Sparta, marched his
personal guard of 300 Spartans north to
Thermopylae
 By the time they arrived over 7,000 had joined
them
 Sparta would hold Persia off at Thermopylae,
a narrow pass on the road to Athens
 Athens would fight at the Artemisium Straits
Prepare for Glory
 For 3 days Leonidas and the Spartans hold off
close to 300,000 Persians
 When the Persians discover a way to outflank the
Greeks, Leonidas orders his 300 into the pass to
hold off the attack while the rest of the army
retreats
The Last Stand of the 300
 All 300 Spartans, including Leonidas, die
 The Greek army and navy escape to fight another
day
 Thermopylae was a Persian victory
Endgame
 Xerxes marches on Athens and burns it to the
ground
 His (ridiculously stupid) actions unite all of Greece
against him
 Themistocles and the Athenian navy defeat the
Persians at Salamis
 The Persians lose 1200 ships
 The Persian Army is wiped out at Plataea in 479
BC
 Persia loses 257,000 soldiers in this one battle
Aftermath
 Athens and Sparta stand alone as masters of
the Aegean
 Athens enters a golden age of empire
 The Battles of Marathon and Thermopylae
save democracy in the western world
 But soon, Athens and Sparta will be fighting each
other…
Summarize
 In your interactive notebook, at the bottom
of your notes page, write a short paragraph
about today’s lesson. Write about:
 What the main idea of the lesson was
 AND what you learned today.
 Your summary should be able to explain
today’s lesson to someone who was not in
class today.