1. Persia Attacks the Greeks
Using illustrations from
National Geographic’s
Journey Across Time

2. Early Persia Persia: civilization SW of what is today Iran
Early Persians were warriors and nomads
Cyrus the Great
united Persians into
a powerful kingdom:
An empire larger than any yet seen in the world

3. Persia’s Empire
539 BC Cyrus’s Persian armies capture Babylon in Mesopotamia
Then: Asia Minor
Syria
Canaan
Phoenician cities
Cyrus treats the subjects well, & even let Jews, that had been captured by Babylonians, to return home.

4. Reminder Timeline of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia: Sumer
Ca 3,000 BC
Sargon & Akkadians Ca 2,340 BC
Assyrians
Ca 900 BC
Hammurabi & Babylonians
Ca 1,800 BC
Nebuchadnezzar & Chaldeans
Ca 605
Persians from NE capture
539 BC

5. Persia’s Empire
Cyrus’s merciful rule helped keep the growing empire together.
They then continued to conquer:
Egypt
Western India
Thrace (region NE of Greece)
They built roads, including the
Royal Road from Asia Minor to
Susa (the capital of Persia).
The empire was then about the size of USA today

6. Reasons for the Persian Wars
Greek colonization clashed with Persians
By 500’s BC Persia controlled Greek cities in Asia Minor
499 BC Greeks rebelled with Athenian army support, but were defeated
King Darius now decided Greeks must be stopped from interfering with the Persian Empire

7. The Battle of Marathon
490 BC Persian fleet of 20,000 soldiers landed on plain of Marathon (close to Athens)
10,000 Athenian waited on hills
Persians waited, but grew impatient (began to board ships to sail to Athens)
Athenians defeated the
Persians easily
Pheidippides; “Victory!”

8. Another Persian Strike
486 BC Darius son Xerxes became
emperor after Darius died:
Revenge against Athenians
480 BC launched invasion with
180,000 troops and thousands
of warships and supply vessels
Greeks joined forces
Athenian general, Themistocles plan
To have time to ready Greek fleet: 7,000 Greek soldiers hold of Persians at Thermopylae (Hot Gates); a narrow mountain pass

9. Another Persian Strike
Spartans especially brave incl. Leonidas
Gave enough time to allow Athens to assemble 200 ships
Greeks attacked Persian
ships at straits of Salamis
& defeated the Persian fleet
Persian army still marched on: Athens
Persians burned the city
Now: Greeks more determined than ever….

10. The End of the Persian Empire
479 BC Greeks came together
Greeks crushed Persian army at Plataea (NW of Athens)
Persians retreated to Asia Minor
Persia: lose strength, internal problems incl. new rulers raising taxes to pay for luxuries, as well as royal families fighting, plots to kill kings/emperors
334 BC Alexander the Great invaded
330 BC last Persian emperor died and Alexander the Great ruled