Ancient Greece: Quick Review Do Now Use your notebooks, folders and your brains to help trigger your memory: 1. How did the geography of Ancient Greece help the people? How did it hurt them? 2. How did the religion of Ancient Greece affect their everyday lives? 3. Describe Athens in 1 sentence 4. Describe Sparta in 1 sentence

The Persian Empire and the Ancient Greeks go to war in 499 B. C. E The Persian Empire and the Ancient Greeks go to war in 499 B.C.E., looking at the map below, what advantages do the Greeks have? What disadvantages do they have?

Greece in 499 B.C.E. The Greek world was tiny. It covered a small area at the southern tip of the Greek peninsula. The Persian Empire was huge. It stretched from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to the Indus River Valley. Some of the Ancient Greek city-states were taken over by the Persian Empire Athens and Sparta sent supplies to the captured city-states to help the people revolt against the Persians

The Battle of Marathon The Persian King, Xerxes (Zerk-ses) wanted to take Athens for Himself The Athenians heard news of a Persian Attack and asked the Spartans for help, but they couldn’t because of a religious ceremony They had to fight alone, but developed a plan to confuse the Persians and stall them One Athenian Soldier ran from Marathon back to Athens to tell them about the victory When he reached Athens, he was so tired, he collapsed and said “Nike”, the Greek Word for victory

The Battle of Thermopylae (the 300) - 480 B.C.E. The Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I could pass. After several days of confrontation the Persians attacked but were defeated by heavy losses. A traitor betrayed the Greeks, revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines With the rest of the army dismissed, King Leonidas stayed behind with his bodyguard of 300 Spartans, knowing they would all die The performance of the defenders at the battle of Thermopylae and the legendary “300” helped put Greece on it’s way to defeat the Persians

Xerxes, the Persian King, was furious at the result of the first two battles with the now hated Greeks. For the third major battle, the Battle of Salamis, he sent an incredible number of Persian ships to wage war on Greece. He didn't want just to win. He wanted Greece to be totally destroyed.  Xerxes was so confident of success that he had his slaves carry a golden throne from Persia, and set it up on a hillside overlooking the Greek harbor, so he could be comfortable while he watched the Greeks die.  But the Greeks did not die. Their small ships could maneuver better. The Greeks were able to toss burning wood aboard the Persian ships and get safely away. The Persians had to abandon their burning ships. Those Persian sailors who made it to land were greeted by the Spartan army. The Spartans killed them all.  When Xerxes saw how the battle was going, he ran away and left his army behind. While Athens burned the Persian ships, Sparta left some men on the beach to handle any Persians who made it to shore. The rest of the Sparta army marched north and defeated the Persian army coming in from that direction.  The Greeks took the day. The few Persians who survived fled. But there was always the threat that the Persians might come back. In preparation, the Greeks created the Delian League - a treasury that would allow them to quickly prepare for war, should the need arise. The Battle of Salamis

Activity Time Pick one of the Three Battles Marathon Thermopylae Salamis You will Write a Story for the Battle on Looseleaf and tape or glue it to the larger posterboard You will need to include illustrations on the posterboard that represent part of the story

Exit Ticket: How do you think the Greeks were affected after the defeated the Persians?