Did You Know?Did You Know? After conquering Babylon in 539 B.C., Cyrus the Great wrote the Charter of Human Rights, which many historians call the first declaration of human rights.
The Persian EmpireThe Persian Empire Persians were warriors and nomads who lived in Persia, the southwestern area of what is today Iran. Who united the Persians? Cyrus the Great Persians built a large empire, conquering Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and Phoenician cities, among other lands. How did Persians connect all of these lands? They built miles of roads. Who came to power in 521 B.C. and reorganized the government? Darius The empire under Darius was divided into satrapies. What are satrapies and why did he divide the empire into them? They are areas of land, or states. It was easier to manage the empire when it was divided into smaller areas with many rulers who answered to him. Each had a ruler known as a satrap. What did the satraps do? They acted as tax collector, judge, chief of police and head recruiter for the Persian army. The satraps answered to the king.
The Persian EmpireThe Persian Empire The military of Persia consisted of full-time, paid soldiers known as Immortals. Why were they known as immortals? If one member died, he was replaced immediately. What was the the religion of Persia called? Zoroastrianism. Who was it founded by? Zoroaster. What were the teachings of the religion? belief in one god, the freedom of humans to choose right and wrong, and the triumph of goodness.
Discussion Question?Discussion Question? How did Cyrus’s compassion for his people help the Persian Empire grow? People are more likely to follow a ruler who cares about them. People often attempt to overthrow cruel or unfair rulers.
The Persian WarsThe Persian Wars After a failed rebellion by the Greeks, King Darius decided to stop the mainland Greeks from interfering in the Persian Empire. The Battle of Marathon: What do you know? Occurred in 490 B.C. on the plain of Marathon, a short distance from Athens. Athenians outnumbered by Persians 2:1. The Persians waited there for the Athenians. When they did not come, the Persian commander ordered the troops back on the boats to sail south. When the horsemen (their strong cavalry) were on the boats, the Greeks charged the Persian foot soldiers and defeated them.
Discussion QuestionDiscussion Question How did modern marathon races get their name? Legend tells that the Athenians sent a messenger (Pheidippides) to Athens after their victory at the Battle of Marathon. The messenger ran nearly 25 miles to Athens. There he collapsed. His final word was “victory” or “nike”. Today’s marathons are 26.2 miles long. (The race was extended by 1.2 miles in the 1908 London Olympics because the royal family wanted the race to end where they had set up their viewing boxes.)
The Persian WarsThe Persian Wars After Darius’s death, his son became king. What was his name? Xerxes. He vowed a new invasion of Greece. Battle of Thermopylae: What do you know? Athens and Sparta joined forces to defend against Xerxes’s attack. Sparta – soldiers, Athens – navy. Greeks fought Persians for 2 days in a narrow pass in the mountains called Thermopylae. The Greeks lost the battle, but during the fighting 200 ships assembled in Athens for their next battle. Battle of Salamis: What do you know? The Greeks used their faster, smaller ships to defeat the Persian fleet in the strait of Salamis (strait is a narrow strip of water between two pieces of land). Afterward, the Persians entered Athens and the Greeks had already fled. The Persians burned the city.
The Persian WarsThe Persian Wars Battle of Plataea: Why is this battle important? The Greek army won. This was the turning point of the wars with Persia because the Persians retreated to Asia Minor. Why did the Persian empire fall? (name 3 reasons) The Persians were weakened by war. Their rulers taxed the people and spent the money lavishly, causing rebellions. The sons of kings had little power, so they killed rulers to get power.