Persian War
Persian Wars
After the Battle of the Marathon Plains…
Darius returns home a loser.
Spends rest of his life in despair.
Persian Wars
•Darius’s son, “Xerxes,” grows up vowing
to revenge his father’s loss.
•Forces slave to follow him, constantly
whispering “Remember the Athenians”
for next 10 years!
Persian Wars
“Remember
the
Athenians”
Persian Wars
“Remember
the
Athenians”
Persian Wars
“Remember
the
Athenians”
Persian Wars
“Remember
the
Athenians”
Persian Wars
Xerxes assumes power and amasses huge army over
200,000+ strong
http://www.juniorgeneral.org/granicus/lpersianc.jpg
Persian Wars
http://www.skiouros.net/voyages/iran2001/ir2001_223.en.html
Persian Wars
and 1000 ships!
http://home.flash.net/~torchie/images/greekfleet.JPG
Persian Wars
Persian Wars
• Xerxes is so anxious for revenge, at one narrow location,
Hellespont, ties boats together and forms a “boat bridge”
to allow army to march across!
http://www.dublinlodge.com/dublopix/xerxes.gif
Persian Wars
“At first the crossing went well, but an intense storm came up and
wrecked the bridge. That the defiant storm should join forces
with the Greeks was unacceptable to the uncompromising,
imperious Xerxes. Therefore he ordered his men to give the
Hellespont 300 lashes, and to throw a symbolic pair of shackles
into the waves. This didn’t seem to intimidate the raging waters,
so he had the water branded with hot irons. In his arrogant
perception, the hissing sounds were the water’s cries of pain.
The engineers who had built the bridge were beheaded for their
faulty workmanship.
The Hellespont, obviously no match for Xerxes, calmed down.
Newly appointed engineers rebuilt the boat-pontoon bridge and
kept their heads.”
http://www.fascinatingearth.com/War%20Stories.htm
Persian Wars
Perhaps there is a reason why some historians refer to him as
“Xerxes ….
The Jerk”
Persian Wars
•Athenians hear about Xerxes’s thirst for revenge.
•Athens gets many other Greek city-states to agree to help.
Not all, but it’s the first time that there is wide scale cooperation between the Greeks.
•Once again, the Greeks are heavily outnumbered.
Persians
Greeks
200,000
Infantry
7000
(+300)
20,000
Cavalry
0
Persian Wars
Greeks decide the only way to hold off Persians is by holding
Fast at the narrow Thermopylae pass.
Persian Wars
Persian Wars
•Persians cannot break through the narrow pass.
•Wave after way of Persians killed to no avail.
•Eventually Xerxes sends his personal bodyguard of 10,000,
known as “The Immortals.” They too cannot breakthrough.
•Xerxes reportedly “Jumps from his throne three times in anger
and agony.”
•Eventually a traveler shows Xerxes a secret, alternate route
around the pass for money.
•When the Greeks see the huge army coming from around this
route, they panic.
•King Leonidas, leader of the Spartans, convinces the
Athenians to leave.
•He and his Spartans agree to hold the pass….to their deaths.
This will give time for fellow Greeks to prepare their defenses.
Persian Wars
Persian Wars
http://www.omdurman.org/xerxes.jpg
Persian Wars
•Xerxes, with over 200,000 soldiers, hears about the
Spartans lounging around, combing their hair, etc…
•Assumes that must be a trick when told there’s only 300
waiting.
•Doesn’t dare attack. Until he’s told of the Spartan tradition
of being well groomed before death.
•He sends a messenger vowing to be lenient with the
Spartans if they allow army to cross.
•When Spartans refuse, he becomes angry,
having the messenger scream out:
“Our arrows will be so thick, they will
block out the sun!”
Leonidas responds:
“So much the better, it’s hot and we prefer to fight in the shade".
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll37USU
oiM0
• 45 seconds in
Persian Wars
•King Leonidas reportedly informs his
Spartans:
"Breakfast well, for we shall dine in
Hades."
•Wave after wave of Persians attack.
•King Leonidas one of 1st killed.
•4 times the Spartans prevented the
Persians from grabbing the king’s body.
•Finally, with spears broken, blades, dull
and hands broken…
All Spartans were eventually killed…
Persian Wars
“The last stand…..
http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/THERMOPYLAE.html
Persian Wars
http://www.persianculture.com/images/battleofplataea.jpg
• While a technical victory for the Persians,
the enormous casualties caused by a few
thousand Greeks was a significant blow to
the Persian army.
• Likewise, it significantly boosted the
resolve of the Greeks to face the Persian
onslaught.
Battle of Salamis
• Athenians realize how vulnerable they have become.
• Evacuate city citizens to the Salamis islands.
• Leaves an elderly gentleman behind to give Xerxes
important information:
• “Athenians will surrender on one condition. Do not
destroy our city.”
• Athenians claim they will encircle Persian & Greek fleets,
then hold the Greek ships from escape, allowing the
Persians to completely destroy all fellow Greek triremes.
• Xerxes pleased with agreement and places his throne on
the Acropolis to watch his moment of triumph.
Persian Wars
http://www.sikyon.com/Athens/images/xerxes.jpg
Persian Wars
http://go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywordResults?keyword=st9%20salamis
Persian Wars
Greeks outnumbered 2-1 (1000>400)
Greeks surround Persian ships.
Athenians do not hold fellow ships
in, instead prevent Persians from
escaping narrow passage…
Ships clashed against each other,
with Persians repeatedly failing to
survive.
http://www.mainlesson.com/books/macgregor/greece/zpage170.gif
• The much larger Persian fleet could not manoeuvre
in the gulf, and a smaller contingent of Athenian and
Aeginan triremes flanked the Persian navy.
• The Persians tried to turn back, but a strong wind sprang
up and trapped them; those that were able to turn
around were also trapped by the rest of the Persian fleet
that had jammed the strait.
• The Greek and Persian ships rammed each other
and something similar to a land battle ensued. Both
sides had marines on their ships (the Greeks with fully
armed hoplites), and arrows and javelins also flew
across the narrow strait.
Persian Wars
One Persian female captain refused to
give up, constantly ramming others, until
her ship was eventually sunk also.
Xerxes reportedly exclaimed:
"My men are become women,
my women men."
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/images15/gschool8.jpg
Persian Wars
http://www.prigsbee.com/Greek.history/Images/more/battlesalamis2.gif
• Following the defeat at Salamis, Xerxes
retreated with the navy, left the army in Thessaly
• Persians fought their final battle with the Greeks
in Boetia near the small town of Plataea.
• With poorly disciplined troops the Greeks had to
retreat but as the Persians pursued a single
Spartan unit valiantly held off attack and turned
the tables
• The last action came in Ionia at Cape Mycale
where the Greeks destroyed what remained of
the Persians fleet
Assignment
1. Account for the outbreak of the Persian
War. What were the major causes?
2. What effects do you think victory in the
Persian Wars would have on the
development of Greece? Support your
answer.