Ancient Greece
The Peloponnesian and
Persian Wars
Where is Persia?

Persia -strong empire in SW Asia.
 Present day Turkey and northern TigrisEuphrates River Valley.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson_images/EvalGraphics/PersianEmpire03.jpg
Tensions with the Persians
545 BC – King Cyrus of Persia takes over Greek
colonies in Asia Minor and on the Aegean.
 500 BC – Greeks in Miletus fed up and rebel.
 The Greeks ask Athens for help.
 Athens sends ships and soldiers to help fight the
Persians.

The Persians Mean Business
Now

Persian leader, Darius,
crushes rebellion and
punishes Athenians for
helping.
 490 BC invades Greece
by landing at Marathon.
 1st major battle;
Athenians are greatly
outnumbered.
http://www.maitlandtoysoldiershoppe.com/products/i
mages/grenadastudios/g174-3.jpg
Athens Wins!!
Although outnumbered, the Athenians
kill 6,400 Persians while only losing 192
Athenians.
 One of their heroes was Phidippides, he
ran approximately 150 miles in two days
to get help from the Spartans. True
Story!

http://www.e-grammes.gr/maps/persian_wars.jpg
The Legend of Pheidippides
After Battle of Marathon, Pheidippides
took the news 26 miles back to Athens.
26 miles = Marathon
 While running he screamed, “NIKE!”
NIKE = Victory in Greek

The Persians Aren’t Finished

After Battle at Marathon, Persians withdrew
from Greece; peace for 10 yrs.
 Darius’s son, Xerxes, wants to take over
Greece and avenge his father.
 480 BC – 180,000 Persian soldiers backed
by the navy invade Greece again.
 The Persians conquer northern Greece, but
city-states unite to stop the Persians.
How did the Greeks win?

After some terrible
setbacks
(Thermopylae, Athens
is destroyed), the
Greeks will lure the
Persian navy into a
narrow bay called
Salamis.
 Greek ships rallied
and crushed almost all
of the Persian fleet.
**Why the Persian Wars are
Important?**
Persian wars united Athens and Sparta
against the Persian Empire.
 Athenian victories over the Persians at
Marathon and Salamis left Greeks in
control of the Aegean Sea.
 Athens preserved its independence and
continued innovations in government
and culture.

Mr. Hannah, how do you know so
much?

We know so much about this war
because of the writings of Herodotus,
the father of history!
http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodotus/herodotus.jpg