Persia Attacks the Greeks - Wikispaces · PDF filePersia Attacks the Greeks What’s the Connection? Section 2 explained how Greeks built strong but separate city-states. At the same

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What’s the Connection?Section 2 explained how Greeks

built strong but separate city-states.At the same time far to the east, thePersians were building a powerfulempire. It was only a matter of timebefore Persia would try to invadeGreece.

Focusing on the • The Persian Empire united a wide

area under a single government.(page 132)

• Both Sparta and Athens played rolesin defeating the Persians. (page 134)

Locating PlacesPersia (PUHR•zhuh)Marathon (MAR•uh•THAHN)Thermopylae

(thuhr•MAH•puh• lee)Salamis (SA• luh•muhs)Plataea (pluh•TEE•uh)

Meeting PeopleCyrus the Great (SY•ruhs)Darius (duh•RY•uhs)Xerxes (ZUHRK•SEEZ)Themistocles

(thuh•MIHS•tuh•KLEEZ)

Building Your Vocabularysatrapies (SAY•truh•peez)satrap (SAY•TRAP)Zoroastrianism (ZOHR•uh•WAS•

tree•uh•NIH•zuhm)

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Create achart like the one below to list theaccomplishments of Cyrus, Darius,and Xerxes.

660 B.C.Zoroasterborn

650 B.C. 550 B.C. 450 B.C.650 B.C. 550 B.C. 450 B.C.

CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 131

Cyrus

AccomplishmentsRuler

Darius

Xerxes

559 B.C.Cyrus becomesruler of Persia

480 B.C.Xerxes invadesGreece

(l)Mary Evans Picture Library, (c)Bettmann/CORBIS, (r)Roger Wood/CORBIS

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The Persian EmpireThe Persian Empire united a wide area

under a single government.Reading Focus Have you ever seen soldiers marchingthrough city streets on the news? Imagine the samething happening in Asia in the 500s B.C. Read to learnwhat happened as Persian armies marched westwardfrom Asia.

The people of Persia (PUHR • zhuh) livedin what is today southwestern Iran. EarlyPersians were warriors and nomads whoherded cattle. For a time, they were domi-nated by others. Then one remarkableleader, Cyrus the Great (SY • ruhs), managed

to unite the Persians into a powerful kingdom. Under Cyrus, who ruled from559 B.C. to 530 B.C., Persia began buildingan empire larger than any yet seen in theworld.

The Rise of the Persian Empire In 539 B.C.Cyrus’s armies swept into Mesopotamiaand captured Babylon. Then they took overnorthern Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria,Canaan, and the Phoenician cities. Cyrustreated all his new subjects well. As youread in Chapter 3, he allowed the captiveJews in Babylon to return home. Cyrus’smerciful rule helped hold his growingempire together.

500 kilometers0Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection

500 miles0

N

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W E

60°E40°E20°E

40°N

20°N

Nile

R.

Indu

sR

.

Tigris R.

A

mu Darya R.

EuphratesR

.

Arabian Sea

AralSea

Caspian

Sea

Red

Sea

Persian Gulf

Mediterranean Sea

Black Sea

MESOPOTAMIA

CreteCyprus

ASIAMINOR

PERSIAPHOENICIA

EGYPT

GREECE

Persepolis

Sardis

Byblos

TyreJerusalem

Thebes

Nineveh

SusaBabylon

The Persian Empire 500 500 B..C..

A system of roads, including theRoyal Road, helped Persian kingsrule their empire.1. About how long was the Royal

Road?2. Based on the map, why might the

Persian Empire have been a threatto Greece?

Persian EmpireRoyal Road

KEY

132

Bronze model of Persian chariot

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The leaders who followed Cyrus con-tinued to add to Persian territory. Theyconquered Egypt, western India, andThrace, a region northeast of Greece. Fromone end to the other, the Persian Empirewas about the size of the continentalUnited States today.

To connect their vast holdings, thePersians built miles of roads. The RoyalRoad stretched from Asia Minor to Susa,the Persian capital. Along the way, thePersians set up roadside stations to supplyfood, shelter, and fresh horses to theking’s messengers.

What Was Persian Government Like? Asthe Persian Empire grew bigger, it becamevery difficult to manage. When Darius(duh •RY •uhs) came to the throne in 521 B.C.,he reorganized the government to make itwork better.

Darius divided the empire into 20 statescalled satrapies (SAY • truh •peez). Each wasruled by an official with the title of satrap(SAY • TRAP), meaning “protector of the king-dom.” The satrap acted as tax collector,judge, chief of police, and head recruiter forthe Persian army. However, all the satrapsanswered to the Persian king.

The king’s power depended upon histroops. By the time of Darius, Persia had alarge army of professional soldiers. Unlikethe Greek city-states, where the citizenstook up arms in times of war, in Persia the government paid people to be full-timesoldiers. Among them were 10,000 speciallytrained soldiers who guarded the king.They were called the Immortals becausewhen a member died, he was immediatelyreplaced.

The Persian Religion The Persian religionwas called Zoroastrianism (ZOHR •uh •WAS •tree •uh •NIH • zuhm). Its founder, Zoroaster,

was born in 660 B.C. He began preachingafter seeing visions as a young man.

Like the Jews, Zoroaster believed inone god. He viewed this supreme being asthe creator of all things and a force ofgoodness. However, Zoroaster recognizedevil in the world, too. He taught thathumans had the freedom to choosebetween right and wrong, and that good-ness would triumph in the end. ThePersians practiced Zoroastrianism for cen-turies, and it still has a small number offollowers today.

Explain Why did Darius create satrapies?

CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 133

Darius helped to organizethe Persian government.What methods did he use?

King DariusKing Darius

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The Persian WarsBoth Sparta and Athens played roles in

defeating the Persians.Reading Focus Have you and a rival ever set asideyour differences to work for a common cause? This hap-pened in ancient Greece when Sparta and Athens cametogether to fight the Persians. Read about the outcome.

As the Greeks set up colonies in theMediterranean area, they often clashedwith the Persians. By the mid-500s B.C.,Persia already controlled the Greek cities inAsia Minor. In 499 B.C. the Athenian armyhelped the Greeks in Asia Minor rebel

against their Persian rulers. The rebellionfailed, but King Darius decided the main-land Greeks had to be stopped from inter-fering in the Persian Empire.

The Battle of Marathon In 490 B.C. aPersian fleet landed 20,000 soldiers on theplain of Marathon (MAR • uh • THAHN), only ashort distance from Athens. For severaldays, the Persians waited there for theAthenians to advance. The Athenians, how-ever, did not take the bait. They had only10,000 soldiers compared to the Persians’20,000. They knew that attacking was toodangerous. Instead they held back in thehills overlooking the plain.

N

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100 kilometers0Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection

100 miles0

30°E

20°E

40°N

A e g e a nS e a

Sea ofMarmara

Me d i t e r r a n e a nSe a

Crete

SalamisMarathonPlataea

Thermopylae Sardis

Miletus

SpartaAthens

1 Athenian army defeats Persian army.

2 Greek force, led by Spartans, falls to Persian army.

4 Greeks defeat Persians, ending the war.

3 Greek fleet defeats Persian navy.

Persian Wars 499–479499–479 B..C..

134 CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks

Greek statesPersian Empire1st Persian invasion,490 B.C.

2nd Persian invasion,480 B.C.

Major battle

KEY

The Persian Empire invaded Greece twiceand was beaten back both times.1. Which of the major battles shown was a

naval battle?2. Why might attacks on the Greek city-

states have been difficult for the Persians?

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Tired of waiting, the Persian com-mander decided to sail south and attackAthens directly. He ordered his troops backonto the ships, and it was then that he madea big mistake. The first to board, hedecided, would be the horsemen in the cav-alry, the strongest part of the Persian army.

As soon as the cavalry was out of fight-ing range, the Greeks charged down fromthe hills and onto the plain of Marathon.They caught the Persian foot soldiers stand-ing in the water, waiting their turn to boardthe ships. Unable to defend themselves, thePersians were easily defeated.

According to legend, the Athenians senta messenger named Pheidippides (fy •DIHP •uh •DEEZ) home with the news. The runnerraced nearly 25 miles (40.2 km) fromMarathon to Athens. He collapsed fromexhaustion and, with his last breath,announced, “Victory.” Then he died.Modern marathon races are named for thisfamous run and are just over 26 miles long.

Another Persian Strike After Darius diedin 486 B.C., his son Xerxes (ZUHRK • SEEZ)became the Persian king. Xerxes vowedrevenge against the Athenians. In 480 B.C.he launched a new invasion of Greece, thistime with about 180,000 troops and thou-sands of warships and supply vessels.

To defend themselves, the Greeks joinedforces. Sparta sent the most soldiers, andtheir king, Leonidas (lee •AH • nuh • duhs),served as commander. Athens provided thenavy. An Athenian general, Themistocles(thuh •MIHS • tuh • KLEEZ), came up with a planto fight the Persians.

The Greeks knew that as the hugePersian army marched south, it dependedon shipments of food brought in by boat.Themistocles argued that the Greeks’ beststrategy would be to attack the Persians’ships and cut off food supplies to the army.

CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 135

Herodotus’sHistory

The Greek historian Herodotus (hih•RAH•duh•tuhs) wrote History of the Persian Wars.This is thought to be the first real history inWestern civilization. Herodotus described theconflict between the Greeks and Persians asone between freedom and dictatorship. Herehe tells of Xerxes’ address to Persian nobles:“And truly I have pondered upon this, until at lastI have found out a way whereby we may at oncewin glory, and likewise get possession of a landwhich is as large and as rich as our own . . . whileat the same time we obtain satisfaction andrevenge . . . My intent is to . . . march an armythrough Europe against Greece, that thereby Imay obtain vengeance from the Athenians forthe wrongs committed by them against thePersians and against my father.”

—Herodotus,The Persian Wars, Book VII

What reasons besides revenge does Xerxeshave for invading Greece?

Herodotus reading to a crowd

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To ready their fleet for battle, the Greeksneeded to stall the Persian army before itreached Athens. The Greeks decided thebest place to block the Persians was atThermopylae (thuhr •MAH • puh • lee). Ther-mopylae was a narrow pass through themountains that was easy to defend. About7,000 Greek soldiers held off the Persiansthere for two days. The Spartans in theGreek army were especially brave. As onestory has it, the Greeks heard that Persianarrows would darken the sky. A Spartanwarrior responded, “That is good news. Wewill fight in the shade!”

Unfortunately for the Greeks, a traitordirected the Persians to a mountain paththat led them around the Greeks. As thePersians mounted a rear attack, KingLeonidas sent most of his troops to safety.He and several hundred others, however,

stayed behind and fought to the death. TheGreeks lost the battle at Thermopylae, buttheir valiant stand gave Athens enoughtime to assemble 200 ships.

The Greek fleet attacked the Persianfleet in the strait of Salamis (SA • luh •muhs),not far from Athens. A strait is a narrow stripof water between two pieces of land. TheGreeks expected to have the upper hand inthe battle because their ships could maneu-ver well in tight spaces. Greek ships weresmaller, faster, and easier to steer than the bigPersian ships, which became easy targets.

The Greek plan worked. After a ferociousbattle, the Greeks destroyed almost the entirePersian fleet. Still, the Persian army marchedon. When their troops reached Athens, theGreeks had already fled.

The Persians burned the city. This onlystiffened the resolve of the Greek city-states.

At the Battle of Salamis, smaller, faster Greek shipsdefeated the Persian fleet. Near what Greek city-state was the strait of Salamis located?

Battle of SalamisBattle of Salamis

Peter Connolly

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Reading SummaryReview the • The Persian Empire united its

many lands under a single government.

• The Persian Empire attackedGreece several times. Despitetheir rivalry, Athens and Spartajoined forces to defeat thePersians.

1. Why was Cyrus considered afair ruler?

2. What was the Royal Road?

Critical Thinking3. Summarize Draw a table like

the one below. Then summarizewhat happened at each battlein the Persian Wars.

4. Persuasive Writing Imagineyou are an adviser to Xerxesand are alarmed about his planfor revenge on Greece. Composea letter to him outlining rea-sons why he should cancel hisinvasion of Greece.

5. MakingConnections The Persianswanted revenge against theGreeks. Describe an event inyour own life or on the newswhere revenge was involved.What was the outcome?

What Did You Learn?

Homework Helper Need help with the material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com

CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 137

In early 479 B.C., they came together toform the largest Greek army ever assem-bled. With solid body armor, longer spears,and better training, the Greek armycrushed the Persian army at Plataea (pluh •TEE •uh), northwest of Athens.

The battle was a turning point for theGreeks, convincing the Persians to retreat toAsia Minor. By working together, the Greekcity-states had saved their homeland frominvasion.

What Caused the Persian Empire to Fall?When the Greeks defeated the Persianarmy, they helped to weaken it. The empirewas already facing internal problems. Asthese problems worsened, the empirewould gradually lose its strength.

Persia remained intact for almost 150more years. However, after Darius andXerxes, other Persian rulers raised taxes togain more wealth. They spent the gold andsilver that flowed into the treasuries on lux-uries for the royal court.

The high taxes angered their subjectsand caused many rebellions. At the sametime, the Persian royal family fought overwho was to be king. Many of the laterPersian kings were killed by other familymembers who wanted the throne.

Persian kings had many wives andchildren. The sons had little, if any, powerso they were constantly plotting to takeover the throne. As a result of such plots,six of the nine rulers after Darius weremurdered.

All of these problems made Persia vulnerable to attack. By the time a youngGreek conqueror named Alexander in-vaded the empire in 334 B.C., the Persianswere no match for his troops.

By 330 B.C., the last Persian king was deadand Alexander ruled over all his lands. Youwill learn more about Alexander the Greatand his many achievements in Chapter 5.

Cause and Effect What ledto the Persian Wars?

MarathonThermopylaeSalamisPlataea

Battle Action

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