PERSIAN WARS
INTRODUCTION
ANCIENT GREECE MAP
COLLECTION OF CIT Y-STATES
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Athens
Sparta
Corinth
Delphi
Olympia
Thebes
SHORTAGE OF FARMLAND
 Because farmland was so scarce, warfare amongst Greek
settlements was common.
 Had to look elsewhere for food
 Developed colonies (settlements in distant places)
GREEK COLONIES
IONIAN REVOLTS
 Greece set up colonies in Asia Minor on the border of the
Persian Empire.
 Persian Empire expanded and invaded the Greek colonies
 Greek colonies (Ionia) asked for help from some of the city states
 Greek city -states sent a Navy to fight the Persians. After
initial success they left the Ionians to finish the fight.
 The Ionians were defeated and Persia then set its eyes on
mainland Greece and the city -states there.
PERSIAN WARS (GRECO-PERSIAN WARS)
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Fought between the Persian Empire and the Greek City -States
Time Period: 499-479 B.C.E.
Location: Greece and Asia Minor
The Persians had expanded their empire from the Middle East,
to Africa (Egypt), South East Asia, and Asia Minor. An
invasion of Greece would be next.
ADVANTAGES AT THE START
Persia
Greece
Powerful Army
United city-states
Large Population and lots
Same language
of soldiers
Fighting on their own soil
Conquered areas fought Banding together against
for Persia
a common enemy
Weapons and Resources Balance of great Army and
Navy
FAMOUS BATTLES OF THE PERSIAN WARS
490 B.C.E.
•Battle of Marathon
480 B.C.E.
•Battle of Thermopylae
and Salamis
479 B.C.E.
•Battle of Plateau
A
series of wars fought between the Greek
city-states and the Persian Empire between
499-479 B.C.E.
A Greek City-State
Example:
Athens, Corinth, Sparta, Thebes, Delphi,
Olympia, etc.
States that agree to help each other
against a common enemy
Example:
Athens and Sparta put aside differences to
fight a common enemy
 Someone
from the Greek City-State of Athens
 Someone
from the Greek City-State of Sparta
 Someone
from the Greek City-State of
Corinth
 Someone
from the Empire of Persia
 The
largest empire
the world had seen
up to this time.
Persia ruled over
Africa, the Middle
East and Asia.
 Hoplite
–Greek civilian/soldier named after
the shields they would carry. Weapon of
choice: Spear with a bronze tip and Iron
Sword
Persian War Important Figures
King Darius
King Xerxes
King of the Persian Empire
who invaded Greece at
the start of the Persian
Wars. Led Persia in the
Battle of Marathon
King of the Persian Empire
after Darius who
continued fighting versus
the Greek city-states. Led
Persia at Battle of
Thermopylae and the rest
of the Persian Wars.
Miltiades
Leonidas
Athenian General who
helped lead the Greek CityStates to victory at the
Battle of Marathon
Spartan King who led 300
Spartans and other allied
soldiers at the Battle of
Thermopylae. They were
heavily outnumbered but
fought heroically to help
delay Persia’s invasion
● Herodotus- Famous
Greek Historian who
wrote about the
Persians Wars.
Also known as the
“Father of History”
● Pheidippides- Greek
messenger who ran
from Marathon to
Athens to warn them
about a Persian
Invasion.
 Themistocles
–
Famous Athenian
Naval commander
and politician who
helped lead Greece
to victory against
the Persians at the
Battle of Salamis
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Cavalry- Soldiers who fought on horseback
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Trireme - An ancient Greek wooden warship with 3 rows
of oars on each side of the ship
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Phalanx- close knit fighting formation perfected by the
Greeks where they would interlock their shields and
march/fight shoulder to shoulder with one another.
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Weapons on the battlefieldBow and Arrows
Swords
Spears
Javelins
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Hellespont- the strait between the Aegean and the
Sea of Marmara that separates European Turkey from
Asian Turkey where Persia set up pontoons and
marched their troops across. Present day called the
Dardenelles
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Isolationism – A policy of avoiding political and
economical relations with other places
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Colonies- A settlement set up in a distant place
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Ionian Revolt- A rebellion by Greek colonies set up in
Asia Minor to not follow the rule of the Persian
Empire. These events in 499 B.C.E. marked the
beginning of the Persian Wars.
Battle of Marathon- Athens defeats the Persians at
Marathon in 490 B.C.E.
Battle of Thermopylae – 300 Spartans (and 6,000+
allied soldiers) led by King Leonidas who fought to
the death at Thermopylae against the might
Persian Empire in 480 B.C.E.
Battle of Salamis –Naval battle near the Island of
Salamis where the Greeks defeated the Persians
led by Naval Commander Themistocles.
Battle of Plateau – Decisive Battle that ended the
Persian Wars and Persia’s attempt at conquering
Greece in 479 B.C.E.