Greece vs Persia & The Helenistic Synth Anthony Cusato 

Political Athens at the time had a democracy Sparta had a king Persia had a king   Cyrus conquered Anatolia he left local governments or rulers in charge as long as they submitted to his rule withas little Persian interference

Ioanian Revolt Ionia was a Greek city state on the other side of the Ageean Conquered by Persia The Ionians revolted and were given help by Athens and Eritrea The revolt lasted 5 years but was eventually put down witha large infusion of troops to the area

Persian Wars King Darius succeded King Cyrus to the throne of Persia In 490 B.C.E Darius sent a fleet to crush Athens and Eritrea for helping the Ionians and to show others not to cross Persia Eritrea was betrayed by a few of its citizens and fell. The survivors were permanently exiled to southwestern Iran Athens defeated Persia at Marathon Marathon was the first major battle of the Persian Wars The trireme was the the best warship available at the time 

Persian Wars Xerxes succeded Darius to the throne In 480 B.C.E. Xerxes sent a huge invasionary force (land and sea forces) across the Hellespont into mainland Greece Sent messengers in front of his forces asking for tributes of "earth and water" There was resistance in southern Greece led by the Spartans (now called the Hellenic League) The second major battle happened at the mountain pass of Thermopylae This is were the story of the last stand of the 300 Spartans came to be 300 Spartans died allowing their allies to escape There was also a sea battle at the Artemisium straight at the same time holding off the Persian navy

Persian Wars Athens was sacked later that same year In 480 B.C.E.the Persian navy was lured to the Straights of Salamis They lost all the there numerical advantages and maneuverability in the straight and were defeated In 479 B.C.E. Persian land forces were defeated at Plataea In 477 B.C.E. the Delian League was formed The Greeks continued the attack for the next twenty years

Greece vs Persia  

Athenian Power Athens exploited these events to become an imperial power Many states would contribute money instead of military forces Eventually Athens considered other states in the Delian League as their subjects and demanded annual contributions and other signs of submission States that tried to leave the league were brought back by force and stripped of all defences  Athens used much of the money they recived to build up and staff their navy

Trireme  

Political & Religious Athens started to emerge as a democratic state Each male citizen was soupposed to have a vote Hoplites were now members of the upper and middle class Rowers came from the lower classes but since they made up the primary protection for the city they had full political rights   Athens and the rest of Greece were still a polytheistic religion

Economic Athens used there millitary and political power to promote its commercial intrests Athens' port, Piraeus became grew into the most important commercial center in the eastern Mediterranean The money collected each year from subject states helped subsidize the economy and fund all the monuments and buildings The money Athens had helped fund the arts and science

Intellectual New intellectuals called Sophists They provided instruction in logicaand public speaking The new discipline called rhetoric, the construction of attractive and persuasive arguments gave trained quick witted individuals an advantage in politics Philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

Social They had slaves The status and role of women varried through out Greece Spartan women were very outspoken and could be out in public Athenian women were confined to the house Marriages were unequal, the husband had almost complete control over the members of his household

Macedonia Rises In 431 B.C.E. the Peloponnesian War broke out The war was a fight between Sparta and Athens Athens was defeated in a naval battle in 404 B.C.E. ending the war The ships Sparta used were funded by the Persian empire Internal conflict in Greece allowed Persia to write the King's Peace which gave Persia control of all city states in Anatolia Philip II was preparing an army in Macedonia of troops, calvary and seige warfare In 338 B.C.E. Philip defeated a coalition of southern states He was in command of a planned offensive agaist Persia He was assassinated in 336 B.C.E.  His throne was passed on to his son, Alexander

Alexander the Great Alexander started his campaingn in 334 B.C.E. He defeated King Darius III of Persia in three decisive battles in Anatolia and Mesopotamia He ultimately campaigned all the way to modern day Pakistan  Maintained Persian government frame work Establish many Greek stlye cities like Alexandria Alexander the Great died suddenly in 323 B.C.E. at the age of thirty-two He had no plans for succession

Alexander the Great  

Hellenistic Synthesis For a half century after his death people fought over who would claim his throne It was split into three seperate kingdoms: Seleucid, Ptolemaic, and Antigonid The Hellenistic Synthesis is the spread and influence of Greek culture in the lands conqured by Alexander the Great Democracy and bureaucracy spread through out and so did the arts Quality of life in the cities improved with new facilities