EHM Unit IV_Persian Wars

#1 Event Ionian Revolt:(499 BCE
How did the Persian Wars Start?

• Cyrus the Great
conquered the Greek city-state, Ionia in 547 BCE.

• The Greeks had moved
there after the collapse of
Mycenae and the
beginning of the Greek
Dark Ages

•The Ionians revolted
against the Persian
Tyrants with the support
of their Athenian Greek
countryman with ships
and troops, but lost.

#1 Event Ionian Revolt:(499 BCE

• Persians repelled the attack on Sardis, but Greeks burn Sardis to the ground.

• Darius the Great vowed to punish Athens for their support of the revolt.

• Darius decided that all the city-states in Greece posed a threat to his empire, so he decided to conquer all of Greece.

The Persian Wars

The Timeline

499 BCE

War Begins

479 BCE

Ionian Revolt
Begins

Battle of
Marathon

490
BCE

Battle of Thermopylae/
&
Battle of Salamis Strait

480 BCE

Battle of Plataea

War
Ends
449 BCE

Greeks vs. Persian Empire

Who was involved in the Persian War?

What were their strategies?

Persian Soldiers

Greek Soldiers called Hoplites

Persian Strategy
Greater numbers
tended to overwhelm
opposing armies

Greek Strategy
Hoplites used the
phalanx formation
to drive opponents
off field

Greek Warfare

• Naval Warfare
• Greek Ships called
Triremes- rowed ship with
heavy iron ram on front

• Land Warfare

• Used phalanx tactics
• Metal shields
• Spears and swords (close
range weapons)

Persian Weapons

• Leather and wood
shields

• Short Swords
• Depended on large
number of archers
• Had larger navy than
Athens

#2 Event: Battle of Marathon (Greek Victory) 490 BCE

• Darius decides to invade the
Greek mainland and take it over.

• Sends messengers to ask for
surrender

• Athenian Greeks- according to legend threw messengers into a pit used to execute criminals.

• Sparta famously did the same thing.

• However.....other Greek city-states submitted.

•The first invasion of Greece by the Persian Empire ended with this
battle.
•The city of Marathon was successfully defended against the
Persian invasion.
•Marathon was made famous by Pheidippides’ 25 mile run to
Athens to alert the city of the victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkYjE22GP2Y

Battle of Marathon (Greek Victory) 490 BCE

• Sparta is having a

religious festival and
can’t help until
tomorrow
• Athenians meet them
with their allies- led by
General Militades

• Sweep around the
Persians, surround
them and defeat them

• Greeks form an
Alliance to protect
against further Persian
aggression

Battle of Marathon (Greek Victory) 490 BCE

This battle took place during the second Persian invasion of Greece.

Who led the Spartan and Athenian Armies?

King Leonidas of Sparta

Athenian General Themistocles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1LBMBo2ZPg

Darius has died
Xerxes, his son decides that the time has come to try
to invade again

#3 Event: Battle of Thermopylae/ Artemisium (Persian Victory) 480 BCE

•The Greeks use their alliance
•Athens and Sparta lead army and fleet to fight

•Sparta makes a stand at Thermopylae (land)
•Athens makes stand at the Straits of
Artemisium (navy)

Battle of Thermopylae/Artemisium (Persian Victory) 480 BCE

•Small passage between mountains- makes it hard
for Archers to shoot, hard for troops in come in
large numbers- Xerxes loses his biggest advantage

•A traitor shows the way around
•About 1300 men (300 were Spartans) fought
to the death to stop the Persians army of
100,000-300,000

•Athens voted to abandon the city

•Xerxes burns Athens to the ground

http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/war/story/sto_set.html

#4 Event: Battle of Salamis (Greek Victory) 480 BCE

• Athenian navy commander-
Themistocles thought of way
to defeat the larger Persian
navy.

• Used similar tactics to
Spartans- Salamis strait was
a small channel between two
areas of land.

• Themistocles told Persians
that he wanted to switch
sides.

• Persians came to join
Themistocles

• The other Greeks acted like
they were retreating, but
suddenly attacked and
rammed 300 ships down.

• The Persians retreated

Battle of Salamis (Greek Victory) 480 BCE

• Once again outnumbered General Themistocles leads Greece to a victory at sea.
• According to Herodotus, the Persian fleet initially numbered 1,207 triremes
• The Greek fleet numbered 366 triremes
• Significance of the battle: it marked the turning point of the war.

#5 Event: Battle of Plataea (Greek Victory) 479 BCE

• Xerxes retreats back to
Asia Minor
• Bridges at Hellespont
have been destroyed-
weather is not a fan of
Xerxes
• Leaves an army to attack
in the Spring

• Greeks have to decide
whether or not to
continue their alliance

What Happened?

• Greeks continue their
alliance
• Xerxes attacks in the

Spring.
• 80,000 allied Greek soldiers
defeat the Persian Army.

#5 Event: Battle of Plataea (Greek Victory) 479 BCE

http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/war/home_set.html

Outcome of the Persian Wars

• Alliances were formed to continue protection from Persian
threat

• Delian League (Athens)

• Peloponnesian League (Sparta)

• The "Golden Age" of Athens under Pericles began, however..........

• Sparta distrusted Athens, and soon the "Peloponnesian War" erupted between them.