1. Language ODYSSEY = a long journey (also Honda’s minivan) TITANIC = something large (like that boat that sank) PLACE NAMES = Athens is named for Athena, Atlas Mountains named for Atlas who held up the sky, Europe named for Princess Europa

2. Literature & The Arts ART – paintings and sculptures over the centuries MOVIES – Hercules, The Lightning Thief/Percy Jackson series SPORTS TEAMS – Tennessee Titans, USC Trojans BUSINESSES/ADVERTISING - Midas

3. Greece & Persia Unit 6: Section 4

4. Persia Becomes an Empire Originally, Persians were an unorganized, nomadic group of people. Leaders such as Cyrus the Great and Darius I united them and created an empire.

5. Cyrus the Great Cyrus led a revolt against the MEDES, a group of people that ruled the Persians for 150 years. The revolt was successful and marked the beginning of the Persian Empire.

6. Cyrus the Great Conquered much of Asia Minor, Southwest Asia, some Greek city-states, Mesopotamia and Central Asia By his death in 529 BC, Cyrus ruled the largest empire the world had ever seen.

7. Cyrus the Great Cyrus let the people he conquered keep their own customs. Because of this, few people rebelled against his rule. This increased the strength of Cyrus and the empire— therefore, historians call him CYRUS THE GREAT.

8. The Persian Army Strong, well-organized, and loyal IMMORTALS – 10,000 soldiers chosen for bravery and skill CAVALRY – units of soldiers on horseback Cavalry would shoot enemy with arrows before the Immortals attacked, which weakened their enemies.

9. The Persian Empire Grows Stronger After the death of Cyrus’s successor, there was no clear leader of Persia. DARIUS I claimed the throne by killing his rivals for power. Once he was securely in place, he worked to restore order, improve Persian society, and expand the empire.

10. Political Organization Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces He chose governors called SATRAPS Satraps collected taxes, served as judges, and put down rebellions. Although powerful within their provinces, satraps still had to answer to Darius.

11. Persian Society ROADS – over 1,700 miles stretching across the empire. Used by messengers and traders. NEW CAPITAL CITY – Persepolis – reflected the glory of the empire. Filled with art, gold, silver, and precious jewels NEW RELIGION – Zoroastrianism – forces of good and evil fight for control of the universe, and people must fight for good.

12. Persian Expansion Conquered into the Indus Valley Tried to expand into Europe, but had to crush some rebellions within the empire.

13. The Battle of Marathon Darius invades Greece nine years after the invasion. This invasion begins the PERSIAN WARS. Athenians had only 11,000 soldiers and the Persians had 15,000—but the Greeks won because of better weapons and clever leaders.

14. The Battle of Marathon Legend says a messenger ran the distance from Marathon to Athens – 26 miles to deliver the news of the Greek victory. He delivered the news and fell over dead of exhaustion.

15. The Second Invasion of Greece XERXES I invades Sparta in 480 BC THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 1,400 Spartan soldiers stood in a mountain pass for three days to hold off the Persians A Greek traitor showed the Persians a back path. Surrounded, the Spartans fought to the death. Persians moved on to Athens and burned the city.

16. The Second Invasion of Greece THE BATTLE OF SALAMIS – Athenian navy led the large Persian navy into a narrow strait. Trapped and unable to turn around, the large Persian ships were easily sunk by the small Athenian ships. Persian ships that were not sank retreated and headed home. The Greeks had won!

17. The Second Invasion of Greece THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA: The final battle of the Persian Wars where the Greeks defeated the Persians. For the Persians: Losing the war was humiliating, but didn’t destroy the empire. For the Greeks: The defeat of the Persians was a major triumph. They saved their homeland.