THE RISE OF PERSIA
Dec 16, 2015
EXPANDING PERSIAN EMPIRE Greeks spent great deal
of time fighting one and other
Near the beginning of the 500s B.C.E. Persia was growing in power
City-states united for defense in Peloponnesian League
By 520 B.C.E. Persian Empire encircled Greek city-states & included former Greek colonies
THE PERSIAN “ALLIANCE”
Athenians sent ambassador to Persian King Cyrus the Great to create an alliance Ambassador made
alliance Athenian assembly
rejected the deal Persia still thought they
had a deal Why would the Athenian
process confuse the Persians?
IONIAN REVOLT
499-493 BCE: Greek cities throughout Asia Minor rise up against Persian rule.
498 BCE: After pleading for an alliance with the Persians, the Athenians back the Ionian Revolt Help Ionians to sack Persian
city of Sardis Result: Persians are
ANGRY!!!
Me so angry
THE ANIMOSITY BEGINS
Persians went on to conquer Ionian Greek city-states
499 B.C.E. Ionians Revolt Athenians fear that they
are next so they help their fellow Greeks
493 B.C.E. Ionian revolt is put down
Darius (Persian leader) still viewed Athens’ actions as a betrayal
The Battle of Marathon Darius sought revenge by sending
20,000 troops who gathered on plains of Marathon (approx. 25 miles north of Athens)
Athenians had a shabby army of less than 9,000 hoplites; no cavalry
But they marched out to meet the Persians in Marathon rather than letting their city be destroyed
According to legend: Pheidippides, an Athenian herald, was
sent to Sparta to request help He ran the 150 miles in two days but
did not succeed in getting Sparta’s help
While Pheidippides was seeking help… Athenians charged unexpectedly
At dead run to avoid Persian archers Greek line was spread thin and broke in middle Instead of retreating, folded up Persians Greeks showed surprising skill in hand-to-hand combat
Won the battle despite more than 2 to 1 odd against them Pheidippides returned and was sent announce their
victory in Athens He ran the approximately 26 miles from Marathon to
Athens Announced “Nike!” (“Victory!”) and dropped dead
The Battle of Marathon
THE 19TH CENTURY POET ROBERT BROWNING WROTE THIS POEM ABOUT PHEIDIPPIDES:
So, when Persia was dust, all cried, “To Acropolis!
Run, Pheidippides, one race more! the meed is they due!
Athens is saved, thank Pan, go shout!’ He flung down his shield
Ran like fire once more; and the space ‘twixt the fennel-fieldAnd Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,
Till in he broke: ‘Rejoice, we conquer!’ Like wine through clay,
Joy in his blood bursting his heart,--the bliss!”
IT’S NOT OVER…
At the same time, Persians sent some infantry and cavalry by ship to Athens.
Immediately after the victory at Marathon, Athenians raced back to Athens .
Just in Time to Save the Day! Made it back to Athens about one hour before the Persians arrived.
Persians realized they were outnumbered.
Persians lost about 6,000 men while Athenians only 192 men
JACKPOT!!! The silver found in the mines at Laureion in Attica
Middle class benefitted
Athenians spend their money on a fleet
Themistocles(elected official) main contributor of needing a navy
Constructed a fleet of nearly 200 ships new style, "triremes" with 200 men rowing 150 oars
arranged in three tiers
What contributed to Athens becoming wealthy?
HAVING ANOTHER GO…
Darius was enraged! Started organizing another
invasion but died first
Xerxes (Darius’s son) took command
Organized between 150,000-300,000 warriors and 600 ships
Greeks combined forces to prepare: Sparta providing vicious
army Athens provided navy to
cut-off supplies of Persians
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE
Greeks chose spot where to meet the Persians
Small pass in Southern Greece near the mountains and the sea
Famous natural hot spring – Thermopylae “ hot gates”
Good choice for the Greece Persians would either have to go through narrow
pass or mammoth diversion
Give the Greeks time to organize troops further south
Athenians sent ships Artemision to try to stop Persian fleet from joining their army
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE
King Leonidas ( Spartan King) led about 7.000 Greek troops into the battle
Only 300 of the troops were Spartan Spartans at the forefront of the fight Persians attacks were rebuffed until…
Xerxes paid a goat herder for information of another route
Sent 10,000 troops through this narrower pass Behind Greeks
King Leonidas dismissed almost all of the Greek troops, leaving the 300 Spartans and a few others
Hence the movie,
300
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE
King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans held the Persians for several days
Persians inundated the Spartans Advanced further south
MEANWHILE AT ARTEMISION
Persians lost many ships at Artemision
weather was bad Greeks captured many ships
But the Persians are not done
BATTLE OF SALAMIS Athenians abandoned their city by orders of Themistocles.
Persians march south from their victory at Thermopylae and destroyed the city of Athens.
Athenians watched from the nearby island of Salamis as their city burned.
BATTLE OF SALAMIS
Athenians positioned themselves and their fleets near the island and did several things to defeat the Persians:
Sent false message to Xerxes Had ships in the narrow channel between Salamis and
the mainland Other ships hid in the small bay to the south of the
narrow channel Persians thought the Greeks in the narrow channel
were fleeing and followed them into the narrow passo Athenians turned back to face Persianso Rammed the Persians ships
Small fleet hidden in the south caught the Persians as they were fleeing.
RESULT: PERSIAN WARS
The Greek sense of uniqueness was increased
Athens emerged as most powerful city-state in Greece
Athens organized the Delian League, an alliance with other Greek city-states
AFTER THE PERSIAN WAR
Ironically, Athens did not support democracy in other city-states
Forces other city-states to pay tribute for protection
Moved the Delian League treasury from Delos to Athens and begin to abuse the access to the Leagues’ money
Many Greeks resented Athenian domination
Greek world split into rival camps. Result: Sparta forges an alliance with the
other city states and forms the Peloponnesian League
Declares war on Athens, which eventually leads to the down fall of Athens
PELOPONNESIAN WAR
Athens at a disadvantage: Geography Navy = no good against Spartans
located inland After Spartan invasion, Pericles allows
people from countryside to move inside city
Result: Overcrowding leads to a plague ; killed 1/3 of the people
Including Pericles Internal struggles undermined
Democratic government
PELOPONNESIAN WAR
Sparta allied with Persia, their old enemy, against the Delian League.
404 B.C., with the help of the Persian navy, the Spartans captured Athens and stripped it of its fleet and empire
AFTERMATH OF WAR
The Peloponnesian war ended Athenian greatness
In Athens Democratic government suffered: corruption and selfish interests replaced order
Fighting continued to disrupt the Greek world
Sparta itself suffered defeat at the hands of Thebes, another Greek city-state
Greece was left vulnerable to invasion (hello Alexander the Great…we’ll meet you soon!)
Cultural development was halted