PERSIANS WARS 490BC-481BC

Greek Colonization of Lydia 800BC Greeks begin to leave Greece for new places to set up city-states Greeks go across the Aegean Sea to the west coast of Lydia/ Anatolia

GREECE

Persian Rule The new colonies are set up in territory ruled by the Persians Persian leader Darius I wants colonists to pay taxes The colonists rebel in 499BC against the Persians with the aide of Greek city-states like Athens

Persians Conquer The Persian military begins to conquer surrounding territory and sends advisers to Greece for their surrender Sparta and Athens refuse The Persians in 490BC head for Marathon

Greeks Defeat Persians Outnumbered nearly 5 to 1 at Marathon, the Greeks defeat the Persians The Persians set out to sea Pheidippides runs 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to tell of the great victory and to warn of a possible attack

The Marathon Pheidippides’ run is the first Marathon “Rejoice, we conquer” he said before he collapsed and died from exhaustion Today’s modern marathon race comes directly from this run The Olympic Games in ancient Greece adopted this run in memory of the heroics

2nd Invasion of Greece In 481BC the Persians, under Xerxes attempted to avenge his father Darius I He set sail with his Persian fleet for Thermopylae At Thermopylae Xerxes was met by 7,000 Greeks from Athens and…

300 SPARTANS

Athens is Destroyed The Persians eventually defeat the Athenian and Spartan militaries and move toward Athens The Athenians abandon the city Xerxes destroys Athens and goes to Salamis to fight the Athenians at SEA

Battle at Sea near Salamis The Athenians built small ships equipped with battering rams. They attacked the larger, bulkier Persian ships in the narrow channel 1/3 of Xerxes’ fleet was destroyed

Consequences of War The Greeks developed an alliance called the “DELIAN LEAGUE” The Persian threat ended Athens emerged as the most powerful city-state in Greece Golden Age in Athens Sparta becomes concerned with Athenian power and suspicious of Athenian intentions

Peloponnesian War As Athens grew in wealth, prestige and power- Sparta became hostile 431BC Sparta declared WAR

Strengths Athens- NAVY Sparta- ARMY

Strategy of Pericles Avoid land battles with Sparta Wait for opportunity to strike Sparta from the sea

Spartans March The Spartans marched on Athens and burned the Athenian food supply A plague swept over the Athenians inside their fortified city during the second year of war killing 1/3 the population including Pericles

A Short Peace In 421BC, TEN years after the war started the Athenians surrendered to the Spartans ending the war Six years later in 415BC Athens attacked a Spartan ally, Syracuse Two years later the Athenians were crushed In 404BC Athens surrendered again

Results of the War Athens lost everything Empire Power Wealth