Transcript The Greco-Persian War - Johnson Graphic Design

(We’re not watching 300)
•All accounts of war are Greek, no Persian records found
•Main source- Herodotus 484-425BC
•Persian Wars- 499-449 BC
•“Father of History”
•"For the first time, a chronicler set himself to trace
the origins of a conflict not to a past so remote so as
to be utterly fabulous, nor to the whims and wishes
of some god, nor to a people's claim to manifest
destiny, but rather explanations he could verify
personally."
•Historians might have criticized his methods, but they felt his
work was still accurate.
•6th Century BC, Persian (Iran) arises as the most powerful nation in
the region
•In comparison the Persian
nation dwarfed all of Greece
(Cuba vs USA)
•constant conflict between
Greek city-states further
weakened their chances vs
Persia
•superior weaponry, training, & leadership helped to lesson the gap
•before attacking mainland Greece, Persia attacked Ionia in Asia
Minor
•559 BCE Persia was under the rule of Cyrus the Great
•unable to cooperate the Greeks/Ionia fall
to the Persians
•the Ionian states are forced to join the
Persian empire/military
•499 BCE an attempted revolt in Ionia was
crushed by the Persians
The Battle of Marathon
•490 BCE- King Darius sends military to punish Athens for Ionian
revolt
•Persians select the plain of Marathon as their base of operation
•a runner is sent to Sparta as Athens ask support, Sparta says not
for another week
•9000 Citizen soldiers of Athens go to
meet the Persians
•the Athenians elected to attack
the Persians instead of waiting
•charging across the battlefield the
Athenians put the Persians on the
run
•Greek Historians claim 192 Greek deaths vs 6400 Persian dead
•a runner is sent from Marathon to Athens to proclaim the victory
•despite the defeat the Persians are far from destroyed
Thermopylae
•10 years of inactivity by
the Persian followed
Marathon
•Persia was now under
the rule of Xeres (480
BCE)
•the Persians cross the
Hellespont by stringing
together boats into a bridge
•Greek Historians say the Persian forces numbered close to 2.5
million, but it was more likely that they were around 200 000
•the Greeks had little time to prepare for the attack & many
intended to accept Persian control
Thermopylae
•it was decided that the
Spartans would defend the
Hot Gates/ Thermopylae
•a force of 4000 soldiers lead
by King Leonidas & his 300
“bodyguards” would be
charged with holding the
gate until the entire Greek
army arrived
•A Greek Sheppard showed the Persians a pathway that allowed the
them to encircle the Greeks
•Leonidas & roughly 1000 soldiers stayed behind & were killed
•The Persian Army attacked & burned Athens- most citizen had
already been evacuated.
Salamis (Naval Battle)
•300 Greek Triremes were
positioned at Salamis
•after a delay the much
larger Persian fleet was
drawn into battle
•Xeres watched from a spot
on top of a hill as his fleet
was destroyed
•the superior speed and manoeuvrability of the Greek ships allowed
then to gain the upper hand in the narrow pass
•this defeat was devastating for the Persians
•Xerxes returned to Persia leaving his forces under the general
Maridonius
Plataea
•Mardonius moved his
forces to a plain near the
town of Plataea
•finally all of the Greeks
formed a united front &
met the Persians head on
•the Greeks were
victorious, killing
Mardonius & taking hold
of a large amount of the
Persians wealth
•the Persians hastily retreated from Greece
•The Greek Navy attacked the Persians and freed the Ionian Greeks
in Asia Minor
Xerxes (The Great)
•Son of Darius I, succeed his father in 486 BC- 36 years old
•Took over control of Empire in midst of preparation for another Greek invasion.
•Ruled over more of mainland Greece than any previous Persian ruler until his
defeats at Salamis & Plataea
•465 BCE Xerxes is assassinated by the
head of his bodyguard
•Rumours that his eldest son was involved
in the murder.
3000-2100 Minoans
on Crete
1200 Trojan War &
downfall of Mycenaeans
490 Battle of
Marathon
479 Battle of Plataea
(Persians defeated)
338 Philip of Macedon conquers
Greek City-states & then is
assassinated
1628 Thera Eruption
(Minoans decline begins)
499-494 Ionian revolt
against the Persians
480 Thermopylae &
Salamis
431-404 The Peloponnesian
Wars
331 Battle of Gaugamela
323 Alexander dies,
empire breaks apart
2011 AD- Boston Bruins
win Stanley Cup
148 Macedonia becomes
province of Rome