Persian Wars Powerpoint Templates

Persian Wars – 490 B.C.-479 B.C. Persians Darius I Aegean Sea to Marathon Persians > Athenians Rain of arrows Hand-to-hand combat Persians retreated Themistocles – Athenian leader – urged Athenians to build warships

Persian Wars Darius died – Xerxes, his son, sent in much larger force Athens persuaded Sparta to join fighting Thermopylae – small force of 300, led by Leonidas, held off Persian forces, but all died Persians then marched south and burned Athens Relied on fleet of ships Themistocles urged them to build Athenians lured Persians into Salamis, driving into the boats with underwater battering rams

Persian War Greeks defeated Persians on land Felt that the gods protected their superior form of gov’t – city-state – against invaders Athens now = most powerful city-state in Greece Formed Delian League – alliance with other Greek city-states

Peloponnesian War Many Greeks resented Athenian power To combat the Delian League, Sparta and other enemies of Athens formed Peloponnesian League DL = democracy PL = oligarchy P. War went on for 27 years

Peloponnesian War Athens – geographic disadvantage Pericles – allowed people to move inside the city walls Overcrowded, plague broke out, killed 1/3 of population Sparta even sided with the Persians, and with the help of their navy, Sparta captured Athens, but did not destroy it out of respect

Aftermath Athens’ economy revived and still was cultural center of Greece, even though fighting occurred in most of Greece

Now create a Headline for the Peloponnesian War!

Now create a Persian poem/picture and a Peloponnesian poem/picture