1. Greece and Persia
The Persians were ruled by a people called the Medes for 150 years.
In 550 BC Cyrus II led a revolt against the Medes.
Cyrus won independence for Persia and conquered the Medes.
This victory marked the beginning of the Persian Empire.

2. Cont… Cyrus ruled the largest empire the world had ever seen.
Cyrus let the people he conquered keep their own customs.
This made them less likely to rebel.
Because of his great successes historians called him Cyrus the Great.

3. The Persian Army Cyrus was successful because his army was strong.
It was strong because it was well organized and loyal.
At the heart of his army were the Immortals.
10,000 soldiers chosen for their bravery and skill.
In additional to the Immortals the army had a powerful calvary.

4. The Persian Empire Grows Stronger
Cyrus’s son Cambyses expanded the army after Cyrus died.
During a rebellion years later Cambyses died and Persia was left without a leader.
Darius I claimed the thrown and killed his rivals for power.
He improved society and expanded the empire.

5. Political Organization
Darius divided the empire into 20 providences.
He chose governors called satraps to rule the providences for him.
They collected taxes, served as judges and put down rebellions in their territories.
He would visit from time to time to keep their power in check and remind them who was king.

6. Persian Society Darius made many improvements to society.
He built roads to connect various parts of the empire.
The Royal Road 1,700 miles long.
He built a new capital called Persepolis. Filled with works of art.
A new religion was formed called Zoroastrianism. 2 forces fighting for control of the universe. One force for good and the other for evil.

7. The Persians Fight Greece
The Battle of Marathon
The Greeks decided to rebel against Persian rule.
The Persians put down the revolt but Darius was still angry.
For this Darius invaded Greece. He sailed to the plains of Marathon. This invasion began a series of wars called the Persian Wars.

8. Cont…
Greece won the Battle of Marathon with less soldiers than Persia.
They won because the had better weapons and clever leaders.
Greece 11,000 soldiers
Persia 15,000 soldiers.

9. 2nd Invasion of Greece
10 years after the Battle of Marathon, Darius’s son Xerxes I tried to conquer Greece again.
The Persian army was joined by the navy this time.
Sparta and Athens joined together to fight the Persians.
Sparta had the strongest army in Greece.
Athens sent their navy to fight Persians.

10. Cont…
To slow the Persian army, the Spartans sent 1,400 soldiers to Thermopylae.
For 3 days the Greeks held off the Persian army.
A traitor to the Greek army helped the Persian army to attack the Spartans from behind.
Now surrounded the Persian army defeated the Greeks, then sweeping into Athens, burning their city.

11. Cont…
Even though the Persians won the last battle the Greeks quickly regained the upper hand.
After Athens was burned, they defeated the Persian navy.
They led the much stronger Persian navy into a narrow strait called Salamis.
Because it was so narrow there were to many Persian ships that couldn’t steer well.

12. Cont…
The smaller ships of the Athens used this to sink the Persian ships.
After the Battle of Salamis they fought once again and the Persians were defeated.
The Persians decided to leave Greece.