PERSIAN WAR
7-2
continued
PERSIAN WAR
Persia- strong empire from
Iran
modern day ______
Controlled Greek city-states in
Asia ___________
Minor
City-states rebelled (with the
Athens
help of __________)
Persia crushed the revolt &
continued towards
Greece
__________ to punish
them
Greeks met them on the Plains
of Marathon
BATTLE OF MARATHON
Greeks sent Pheidippides, their swiftest
runner, to bring help from Sparta, 150
miles away.
Before he returned the Greeks attacked the
Persians with a running charge.
The Persians fired a shower of arrow, but the
speed & heavy armor of the Greeks enabled
them to reach the Persians with small losses.
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When the 2 armies met up close, the Greeks
superior weapons & body strength enabled
them to win.
Greeks, fearing Athens may surrender to
Persians navy, sent Pheidippides to run the 25
miles to Athens to tell them of victory.
He reached Athens & gasped, “Rejoice, we
conquer” & fell to ground-dead.
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25 miles NE of
____________
Athens
20,000 Persians vs.
11,000 Greeks
Persians lost
6,400
__________
men/
Greeks lost 192
Legend
Persians retreated
and would come
back again
Second Persian War
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Xerxes
_________
returned with
a force of 150,000 men
and 600 ships
Only 31 city-states
resisted under
Spartan
__________
command
Greek strategy was to
delay the Persians on land
and defeat them with
sea
Athenian ships at _______
Battle of Thermopylae
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300 Spartans and
_____
a handful of Greek
allies fought to the
death to delay the
Persians
Their actions serve
as an example of
courage and selfsacrifice
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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A former Spartan king told Xerxes about
the Spartans, “1 against 1, they are as
good as anyone in the world. But when
they fight together, they are the best of
all. For though they free men, they are
not entirely free.
They accept the Law as their master.
And they respect this master more than
your subjects respect you.
Whatever the Law commands, they do.
And this command never changes: It
forbids them to flee in battle, whatever
the number of their foes.
It requires them to stand firm-to conquer
or die”.
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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Kind Leonidas asked the Spartan
council for permission to missing the
approaching religious holiday.
The council refused but allowed him
to take his royal bodyguard.
300 Spartans were chosen from men
who already had a male heir so that
no family lines would die out.
As he started the march his wife met
him and asked what she should do.
He replied,”To marry good men and
bear good children”.
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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The Persian army was
so large (200-250,000)
that it took 5 days for
the back to catch up to
the front.
They literally drank
rivers dry.
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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The Persian army was so
large (200-250,000) that it
took 5 days for the back to
catch up to the front.
They literally drank rivers
dry.
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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The Spartans met up with
allies along the way to
increase their numbers to
7000 soldiers.
At Thermopylae they
rebuilt an ancient wall.
A Persian spy saw the
Spartans in front of the
wall, combing their hair
and doing gymnastics.
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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A Persian envoy went to the
Spartans to warm them to
surrender.
They explained that there
were so many Persian archers
that when they fired their
arrows blotted out the sun.
Leonidas responded, “How
pleasant then, if we’re going to
fight them in the shade”.
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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Xerxes sent two waves at
the Spartans but were
defeated.
He then sent 10,000
immortals, his best troops
commanded by his brotherthe result was the same.
Battle of Thermopylae
(the real story)
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A traitor told Xerxes about a goat
path.
He sent troops through the pass to
surround the Greeks.
Leonidas sent the other Greeks
away but the Spartans stayed for a
final glorious death.
Leonidas was killed- Persians
demanded his body in exchange for
their lives
They refused- “A Spartan leaves the
field with his shield or on it”
In all, about 1-2000 Greeks were
killed while the Persians lost more
than 20,000.
BATTLE OF SALAMIS
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Greeks had slow, clumsy
_________
compared to
ships
Persians
Greeks filled their boats
with soldiers- fighting
platforms
Were able to defeat the
Persian navy, cutting off
__________
to their
supplies
huge army
Persian Defeat
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Without the support of
their supply ships, the
Persians retreated back to
their homeland, never to
invade __________
again.
Greece
With their victory, the
Greeks preserved
democracy and their
___________
culture.