Ancient Greece Fiercely Independent

Major Wars Fought by Greeks The Trojan War The Persian Wars Marathon Thermopylae Salamis The Peloponnesian War

Organization Chart Battle Leaders Numbers Winner Marathon Persian: Greek: Army: Ships: Thermopylae Salamis Peloponnese

The Persian Wars Persia was a powerful eastern empire (Afghanistan to shores of the Mediterranean) Ruled by Cyrus the Great In contrast, Greece was actually a bunch of small, scattered city-states Greeks LOVED their independence

Leading up to the Battle of Marathon 499 BCE, Miletus led other Ionian city-states in a revolt again Persia. Persians won, destroying Miletus

The Battle of Marathon Darius I of Persia was determined to punish the Athenians for supporting the Ionian revolt.

Heralds were sent by Darius to Sparta and Athens to get to submit to Persian power. Heralds would ask for “sand and water” Sparta threw the Herald down a well, where there was plenty of both. Athens threw the Herald over the cliffs and killed the translator. War was inevitable.

The Athenians had sent to Sparta for help but Sparta was unwilling to leave until the moon was full. The Spartans eventually arrived after the battle was over. But the Athenians had a most welcome surprise when they arrived at Marathon for they were joined by a force of 1000 Plataians (their entire army) to fight against the common enemy. Together they would face the Medes and their conquerors, the Persians. No one had been able to stand up against them in the past.

Numbers Persians brought 600 ships and over 20,000 soldiers. Athenians and Plataians numbered less than 10,000.

The name, “Marathon” The Athenian general dispatched a professional runner to seek help from Sparta. Pheidippides ran over 42 km in two days, and then ran back to Marathon with the Spartans’ response. Pheidippides collapsed and died after giving this message.

Miltiades, the Athenian general

The Athenians (and Plataians) were outnumbered 3 to 1. Miltiades knew the Persians put their strongest soldiers in the middle rows. Miltiades had his army stretch out to match the Persian length. He then put his best soldiers on the front ends. Persians broke through the middle, but Athenians won on the ends and surrounded the Persians. The trapped soldiers in the middle ran back to their ships. 192 Athenians died. 6,400 Persians died.

Persian Army

Greek Army

Their position in war is called a “phalanx” (close, tight line)

Battle at Thermopylae The Persians planned on a comeback. Despite Marathon, Persia still owned Asia Minor, Lydia, Judah, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Darius I was killed in a battle, so his son, Xerxes took control of the Persian empire. By 480 BC, Xerxes had built up an enormous army of 180,000 men and a navy of 1200 ships. 

Xerxes, King of Persia

But Greece had not been slack after Marathon. The Athenians, under Themistocles, developed a strong navy of 200 ships and 7000 troops. By 481 BCE, all the Greek states that were prepared to fight the Persians held a congress. Sparta and Athens agreed to take the leadership.

■ The Greek army was led by King Leonidas of Sparta who brought with him 300 Spartans. ■ The small turnout of Sparta resulted from a disagreement as to where best to meet the Persians. ■ Sparta wanted to fight at the Isthmus of Corinth ■ others wanted to fight further north ■ Athens still insisted that the war would be won or lost at sea.

The Greeks realized that Xerxes had to be delayed as long as possible so that the Athenians could desperately build up their navy. They decided to send an expeditionary force north to meet Xerxes, to fight the Persians at hopeless odds, and to sacrifice themselves in order to improve the chances of ultimate victory. They decided to take this stand at Thermopylae.

The fight was in a narrow pass. After 3 days of fighting, the Greek had to back away.

A Greek traitor led the Persian forces along a mountain path to the far end of the pass at Thermopylae.

King Leonidas knew they were trapped. He told the other Greeks to leave. He and the 300 Spartans stayed, fought bravely, and all were killed.

The Battle at Salamis Athens was left vulnerable after Thermopylae and the city was evacuated. Most of the people escaped to Salamis. The Persians went after them. Themistocles sent a messenger to Xerxes with lies: The Greek Fleet was sailing away An attack the next day by the Persians would result in Athenians joining them because they were disgusted by the other week Greek states.

Xerxes believed the messenger and sent his ships into the strait. The Greeks attacked the Persian boats. The Persians lost 200 ships The Greeks lost only 40 ships.

Xerxes had been so confident he would win, that he sat watching the battle on a throne placed on a hill overlooking the strait.

Xerxes went home without his army. The remaining Persian army fought the Greeks near the town of Plataea. A Spartan unit held off their attack. In a war in Ionia, the Greeks destroyed the rest of the army.

The Peloponnesian War In 478 BCE, Athens and other states (150 altogether) formed a league to protect themselves from anymore attacks by the Persians. Being in the league meant you gave money or resources. Most states gave money, and Athens created a huge amount of ships. From 480 BCE to 380 BCE, Athens developed in the arts and sciences, in literature and trade.

Sparta rivaled Athens. It was the only unwalled city in Greece. By the middle of 500 BCE, Sparta controlled most of the Peloponnese.

Athens versus Sparta Athens tried to expand its control by entering central Greece, Sparta’s domain. Athens prevented some states from trading and they went to Sparta for help. Sparta declared war in 431 BCE.

Competition Athens Strong navy A lot of money Sparta Professional soldiers

The Plague To protect its people, the Athenian leader, Pericles, had all his citizens live within the city walls. With the enormous population, poor ventilation, and a lack of hygiene, a plague broke out. 1/3 of the population died, including the general.

Athenian Attack Athens attacked the neutral state of Melos. All men of military age were killed. Women and children were sold into slavery. Then Athens invaded Syracuse (Sicily) Syracuse won.

Sparta’s Strength Sparta formed an alliance with Sicily. Sparta formed an alliance with Persia. Sparta defeated Athens by 405 BCE. Athens had to give up all the ships but 12. Athens’ walls were torn down. Athens was not destroyed because of the service it had provided during the Persian wars.