Today’s Vocab
 Persian Wars- A series of wars that involved the
Persian Empire and Greeks.
 Battle of Thermopylae- A battle made famous because
of 300 Spartans who held off a Persian Army of
possibly up to a million soldiers for 3 days.
 Delian League- A organization of city-states led by
Athens in order to prevent Persian dominance.
 Pericles- The leader of Athens who took them into a
Golden Age and expanded democracy.
Warm Up?
 Explain the difference between Athens and Spartan
values.
And Pericles
DRAW GRAHPIC ORGANIZER
PERSIAN WARS
 A series of wars that took
place between the Greeks
and the rapidly expanding
Persian Empire.
 The wars began in 490 BC
and lasted for about 10
years.
 It was one of the most
important events that
happened to the
Athenians!
st
1
Battle: Battle at Marathon
 When did it begin?
 490 BC
 What happened?
 A Persian fleet of ships came into
the Aegean with over 25,000 men
and were met by 10,000
Athenians.
 Who Won?
 Huge Athenian victory because of
their well trained discipline army.
 Why did the “marathon” come from
this battle?
 A runner named Pheidippides (fy
DIP uh deez) raced back to Athens
to tell them of their victory and to
protect the city. Athenian army
soon came back to protect the city.
Pheidippides died.
nd
2
Battle: Battle at Thermopylae
 When did it begin?
 480 BC
 What happened?
 Persians led by Xerxes tried to
invade Greece from the north.
The Greeks were very divided and
some even fought for the Persians.
 The Persians faced little resistance
until arriving at Thermopylae
where they were met by 7,000
Greeks led by 300 Spartan
warriors. A traitor gave the
Persians the way around the cliffs.
After every Greek was slaughtered
they were on their way to Athens.
 Who won?
 The Persians
rd
3
Battle: Battle at Salamis
 When did it begin?
 Right after Thermopylae around 480
BC
 What happened?
 Persians led by Xerxes continued to
head south to Athens setting it on fire.
 Themistocles (an Athenian statesman)
convinced the Athenians to evacuate
and fight the Persians from the sea.
 The Athenians put their ships in a
narrow channel near the island of
Salamis and the Persians eventually
followed. But, the Persian ships were
too big and the Greek ships were able
to ram the large ships.
 Who won?
 Over 1/3 of the Persian fleet sunk! The
Athenians were again victorious.
th
4
and Final Battle: Battle at Plataea
 When did it begin?
 479 BC
 What happened?
 The Spartans met the Persian army
at Plataea.
 The Spartans were able to drive the
Persian army out of Greece for good.
 This signified the end of the Persian
Wars.
 However, despite the great power and
success Greece displayed as a unified
country they did not stay that way. They
joined with their old allies again between
Athens and Sparta.
 Also, the defeat of the Persians gave way
to the Delian League, which eventually
led to the Athenian Empire.
Effects of the Persian Wars



Creation of the Delian League
 The purpose of the League was defense,
waging a military campaign against the
Persians and freeing the Greek cities that
were still under Persian control.
Who lead the League?
 Athens, but each city-state had 1 vote-The
League was essentially a democratic
alliance between equals.
How did Athens benefit from the League?
 As the League grew, the power of Athens,
as leader of the League grew
tremendously.
 Athens grew very wealthy during this
time! They were paid taxes by the other
members of the League for maintaining
the fleet.
 With all of that money, Athens began to
build things such as the Acropolis!
 What was the change in the Delian
League?
 Thasos was unhappy with the
League and payments to Athens
and rebelled.
 The revolt was not successful,
but it was the first time in the
League history where a decision
was made only in regard to the
interests of Athens rather than
the interests of the League.
 As Athens stood on the brink of
becoming a democratic state,
Pericles stood ready to move the
Delian League into an Athenian
Empire.
Pericles
 When did he rule?
 461-429 BC, Athens Golden Age
 Organized Delian League
 What were his 3 goals for Greece/Athens?
1. Strengthen Athenian Democracy
2. Make the Empire Strong
3. Glorify Athens
Pericles and democracy
 Pericles felt that democracy was a
very important part of Athens.
 He allowed more people to
become involved in government
offices and get paid. (Before this
office holders weren’t paid, so
only the rich could afford to be a
public official.)
 Pericles created the first citystate that ruled by Direct
Democracy.
 Citizens rule directly, not
through representation.
 But not all citizens were
allowed to take part in the
government.
Athenian vs. American
democracy
Athenian Democracy
- 18 yr old men allowed to take
part and vote
American Democracy
- Citizens born in U.S. have all
rights and vote
- Have parents who are citizens
- Representatives elected to vote
on and create laws
- Laws are voted on and created
by Assembly
- Executive branch is an elected
president and appointed officials
-Executive branch composed of a
council of 50 men
- Jury made up of 12 jurors
- Jury size varied
- Defendants and plaintiffs have
attorneys
-No appeals, no attorneys, 1 day
trial
- Appeals process
- Bill of rights to protect citizens
 Similarities:
 Citizens have political
power
 3 Branches of
Government



Legislative Branch: passes
laws
Executive Branch: enforces
laws
Judicial Branch: conducts
trials
Reflection
EQ: How did the Persian Wars unite the Greeks and
what idea did the result of the wars help preserve?
Think about the following when answering:
If the Greeks had lost the Persian Wars what gift
from Athens may have been lost?
2. What are some differences and similarities between
American and Athenian democracy?
3. What was the Delian League and how did it make
Athens powerful?
1.