Chapter 28. Persian Wars – (4:27) From 499 – 479 B.C.E. Athens and Sparta had.

Fighting the Persian Wars

Chapter 28

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPUo7b-QVjo Persian Wars – (4:27)

From 499 – 479 B.C.E. Athens and Sparta had a common enemy Persian Empire

Persia with its powerful kings, was the largest empire ever seen – covered parts of Africa, Middle East, and Asia

Persian’s invaded Greece Greece banded with

allies Greece had much less

land and fewer people

There were severalimportant battles

Persian empire and Ionian revolt• Persians were a small tribe in Iran• Grew larger by conquering neighbors• Archers won many battles• At height was largest empire ever known• Kings conquered Mesopotamia, Asia Minor Syria, Egypt and parts of India

and Europe• King Darius divided empire into 20 provinces (satrapies) and a tax-

collection system– Appointed officials for local areas– Conquered people kept own customs and religions

• Ionian revolt began 499B.C.E. beginning of Greek-Persian wars• 546 B.C.E. Persians conquered wealthy Greek settlements in Ionia – Asia

Minor– They took farm land and harbors and forced tributes and to serve in army– Ionians could not defeat the Persians so asked Greece for help – after first success

they went home – then in 493 B.C.E. Persian army defeated small Ionian army– Persians destroyed Miletus and sold people to slavery

Battle of Marathon• www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfIb-JN6abU The battle of Marathon 490 B.C. (1/2) 9

minutes• www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MPFgezTQCc&feature=relmfu The battle of Marathon

490 B.C. (2/2) 11 minutes

• King Darius decided to conquer mainland Greece– He sent messengers to collect earth and

water from the Greeks – as tribute – Greeks threw messengers in wells and pits

– Sent large army of foot soldiers and cavalry across Aegean Sea – they assembled on the plain of Marathon

– Miltiades convinced Greeks to fight there

– Athenians sent runner named Pheidippides to Sparta for help (2 days & nights running) was told he could not have any help until the next full moon

• Greeks won – but only the beginning

Battle of Thermopylae – the 300

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtWdAtnfTUk&feature=relmfu The battle of Thermopylae 480 B.C. (300 Spartans) 1/2 (9 minutes)

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO1iRsfbNrY&feature=relmfu The battle of Thermopylae 480 B.C. (300 Spartans) 2/2 (11 minutes)

• King Darius died, King Xerxes – his son- attacked Greece

• Chose to cross the Hellespont – a narrow sea channel– Made two bridges by roping 100’s of

boats together with wooden boards across their bows then walked into Europe

– 480 B.C.E. Athens and Sparta worked together

– Athenian navy tried to stop Persian navy and King Leonidas would try to stop Persian army

– Made stand at Thermopylae with 6-7,000 soldiers against 180,000 Persians

• Greek traitor showed Persians a secret path through mountains so could attack the front and back of the Greeks at the same time

• Leonidas could only slow down the Persians so he sent most of his troops home.

• With 300 Spartans they fought to their death.

• A fight the Greeks still remember

Battle of Salamis• when Greece heard of the

slaughter in Thermopylae they boarded ships and fled – a small army was left to defend Athens

• Xerxes burned Athens to the ground

• Athenian navy leader – Themistocles- wanted to fight in the channels between islands and mainland – – had to get their ships into a place called

Salamis

• sent messenger saying he wanted to join the Persians – and if they attacked now there wouldn’t be a fight

• Xerxes fell for the trick – Greeks surround them and rammed them with the wooden rams on the front of their ships – sending 300 Persian ships to bottom of sea – Greece lost 40 ships

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGWO7qog-_0 The Battle of Salamis (9 minutes)

Battle of Plataea

• Xerxes fled with soldiers– Was afraid Greeks would destroy

bridges before he got back across them – they had already been destroyed by storm

– He left soldiers to attack in the spring.

– Outside town of Plataea 479 B.C.E. attack led by Spartans and 80,000 Greek troops destroyed Persian army

– Kept Persia from conquering all of Europe

– Thousands of Greeks dead and Athens was left in ruins

The initial movements at the Battle of Plataea. The Greek line moves forward to the Asopus ridge.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkQe8efbYDM Greco-Persian Wars: The Battle of Plataea (9 minutes)

Summary

• Athens and Sparta joined forces to defeat Persia

• Wars began with the Ionian Revolt and ended 20 years later with the victory at the Battle of Plataea

• Athens became center of Greek culture and expanded own empire