1. Persian Wars Introduction

2. Ancient Greece Map

3. Collection of city-states
Athens
Sparta
Corinth
Delphi
Olympia
Thebes

5. Shortage of Farmland
Because farmland was so scarce, warfare amongst Greek settlements was common.
Had to look elsewhere for food
Developed colonies (settlements in distant places)

6. Greek Colonies

7. Persian Wars (Greco-Persian Wars)
Fought between the Persian Empire and the Greek City-States
Time Period: B.C.E.
Location: Greece and Asia Minor
The Persians had expanded their empire from the Middle East, to Africa (Egypt), South East Asia, and Asia Minor. An invasion of Greece would be next.

9. Advantages at the start
Persia
Greece
Powerful Army
Large Population and lots of soldiers
Conquered areas fought for Persia
A lot of Weapons and Resources
United city-states
Same language
Fighting on their own soil
Banding together against a common enemy
Balance of great Army and Navy

10. Famous Battles of the Persian Wars
Battle of Marathon
490 B.C.E.
Battle of Thermopylae and Salamis
480 B.C.E.
Battle of Plateau
479 B.C.E.

11. Persian wars
A series of wars fought between the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire between B.C.E.

12. Polis
A Greek City-State Example: Athens, Corinth, Sparta, Thebes, Delphi, Olympia, etc.
Allies
States that agree to help each other
against a common enemy
Example:
Athens and Sparta put aside differences to fight a common enemy

13. Athenians, Spartans Corinthians and Persians
Someone from the Greek City-State of Athens
Someone from the Greek City-State of Sparta
Someone from the Greek City-State of Corinth
Someone from the Empire of Persia

14. Hoplite-
Hoplite –Greek civilian/soldier named after the shields they would carry. Weapon of choice: Spear with a bronze tip and Iron Sword

15. Persian empire The largest empire the world had seen up to its time.
Persia ruled over
Africa, the Middle
East and Asia.

16. Ancient Military terms
Cavalry- Soldiers who fought on horseback
Trireme - An ancient Greek wooden warship with 3 rows of oars on each side of the ship
Phalanx- close knit fighting formation perfected by the Greeks where they would interlock their shields and march/fight shoulder to shoulder with one another.
Weapons on the battlefield-
Bow and Arrows
Swords
Spears
Javelins

17. Trireme

18. Other important Vocabulary words
Hellespont- the strait between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara that separates European Turkey from Asian Turkey where Persia set up pontoons and marched their troops across. Present day called the Dardanelles
Isolationism – A policy of avoiding political and economical relations with other places
Colonies- A settlement set up in a distant place
Ionian Revolt- A rebellion by Greek colonies set up in Asia Minor to not follow the rule of the Persian Empire. These events in 499 B.C.E. marked the beginning of the Persian Wars.

19. Persian War Important Figures
King Darius
King of the Persian Empire who invaded Greece at the start of the Persian Wars. Led Persia at the Battle of Marathon
King Xerxes
King of the Persian Empire after Darius who continued fighting versus the greek city-states. Led Persia at Battle of Thermopylae and the rest of the Persian Wars.
Miltiades
Athenian General who helped lead the Greek City-States to victory at the Battle of Marathon
Leonidas
Spartan King who led 300 Spartans and other allied soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae. They were heavily outnumbered but fought heroically to help delay Persia’s invasion

20. More Important figures
● Herodotus- Famous Greek Historian who wrote about the Persians Wars. Also known as the “Father of History” ● Pheidippides- Greek messenger who ran from Marathon to Athens to warn them about a Persian Invasion.
Themistocles – Famous Athenian Naval commander and politician who helped lead Greece to victory against the Persians at the Battle of Salamis

21. Battles of the Persian Wars
Battle of Marathon- Athens defeats the Persians at Marathon in 490 B.C.E. Battle of Thermopylae – 300 Spartans (and 6,000+ allied soldiers) led by King Leonidas who fought to the death at Thermopylae against the might Persian Empire in 480 B.C.E. Battle of Salamis –Naval battle near the Island of Salamis where the Greeks defeated the Persians led by Naval Commander Themistocles. Battle of Plateau – Decisive Battle that ended the Persian Wars and Persia’s attempt at conquering Greece in 479 B.C.E.