p.193 492–449 BC

What was Greece like before the war? At this time Athens is the most dominant city-state. Persia came over and tried to conquer Greek city-states. Athens didn’t like this and kicked the Persians out. However the Persians didn’t give up that easily. Persian infantry

Greek and Persian Empires

Persians want to rule it all! The Persian empire was very large. Their king, Darius I wanted to extend it into Greece. They knew the only way to take over all of Greece would be to conquer Athens. *Why is this?

Battle of Marathon The first major battle of the Persian War was the Battle of Marathon. Here, the Persian army met the Athenian army. Athens was victorious, but the Persians weren’t finished in Greece. Battle of Marathon

King Xerxes of Persia After Darius, Xerxes became king He sent 150,000 men and 300 ships to attack Greece. At this point, 31 city-states joined together to fight off the Persians. Athens and Sparta begin fighting on the same side. What made them put their differences aside? King Xerxes

Battle of Thermopylae This is the first battle where all Greek forces work together…even Athens and Sparta. The Persians attacked the Greeks many times, but the Greeks kept them at bay on the first two days of the battle. Eventually, the Persians surrounded the Greeks and defeated them on the third day. The Persians pushed their way on to Athens, where they burned the city.

The Persians could not escape, and most of their navy was destroyed. Battle of Salamis The Persians now had their eyes on the Peloponnesus. To get there, they had to take their boats by the island of Salamis. The Athenians knew this, and trapped the Persian army. The Persians could not escape, and most of their navy was destroyed. Straits of Salamis

Distinct lines become drawn after the Persian War After the war… The Greeks were victorious in keeping the Persians away from their city-states. However, this could lead to Athenian domination of Greece. Why do you think this is? This greatly angers the Spartans. Distinct lines become drawn after the Persian War

The Formation of Leagues Fear and hope of Athenian Domination led to various city-states uniting. Therefore a bold division among the Greek people One league advocated Athenian domination and the other opposed it Regardless of affiliation-”all” city-states eventually were a part of one or the other

Formation of Leagues

Assignment for today As you saw, both Sparta and Athens were very influential in helping Greece win the Persian War. Write a 5 sentence paragraph about the war. Then tell which was more helpful in winning (Athens and Sparta) and why. Next, illustrate your favorite battle of the Persian War and tell me why it was your favorite in 3 sentences or more.