1. The Peloponnesian and Persian Wars
Ancient Greece
The Peloponnesian and Persian Wars

2. Where is Persia? Persia -strong empire in SW Asia.
Present day Turkey and northern Tigris-Euphrates River Valley.

3. Tensions with the Persians
545 BC – King Cyrus of Persia takes over Greek colonies in Asia Minor and on the Aegean.
500 BC – Greeks in Miletus fed up and rebel.
The Greeks ask Athens for help.
Athens sends ships and soldiers to help fight the Persians.

4. The Persians Mean Business Now
Persian leader, Darius, crushes rebellion and punishes Athenians for helping.
490 BC invades Greece by landing at Marathon.
1st major battle; Athenians are greatly outnumbered.

5. Athens Wins!!
Although outnumbered, the Athenians kill 6,400 Persians while only losing 192 Athenians.
One of their heroes was Phidippides, he ran approximately 150 miles in two days to get help from the Spartans. True Story!

7. The Legend of Pheidippides
After Battle of Marathon, Pheidippides took the news 26 miles back to Athens.
26 miles = Marathon
While running he screamed, “NIKE!”
NIKE = Victory in Greek

8. The Persians Aren’t Finished
After Battle at Marathon, Persians withdrew from Greece; peace for 10 yrs.
Darius’s son, Xerxes, wants to take over Greece and avenge his father.
480 BC – 180,000 Persian soldiers backed by the navy invade Greece again.
The Persians conquer northern Greece, but city-states unite to stop the Persians.

10. How did the Greeks win?
After some terrible setbacks (Thermopylae, Athens is destroyed), the Greeks will lure the Persian navy into a narrow bay called Salamis.
Greek ships rallied and crushed almost all of the Persian fleet.

11. **Why the Persian Wars are Important?**
Persian wars united Athens and Sparta against the Persian Empire.
Athenian victories over the Persians at Marathon and Salamis left Greeks in control of the Aegean Sea.
Athens preserved its independence and continued innovations in government and culture.

12. Mr. Hannah, how do you know so much?
We know so much about this war because of the writings of Herodotus, the father of history!