1. THE PERSIAN WARS

2. Do Now  Take out your Lesson 9.1 Questions  Answer the following questions: 1. Which empire was a growing threat to Greece? 2. What league was formed in order to defend against them?

3. Persia  Persia had an enormous empire that stretched from what is now India in the east to Egypt in the west.  It also had gained control over the Greek cities along the coast of Asia Minor.

4. Persia

5. Rebellion  499 B.C. – Greek city-states in Asia Minor rebelled against Persia.  They burned Sardis, the western capital of the Persian Empire.  Athens sent a small fleet of ships to help the rebelling Greeks; the Persians crushed this.

6. Sardis

7. Darius I  This angered the Persian leader, Darius I.  He sent a huge army across land and sea to conquer the Greeks.  Forces were stopped short when a storm wrecked the Persian fleet.

8. Darius I

9. Battle of Marathon  2 years later, Darius attacked again, just outside Marathon, 26 miles north of Athens.  He outnumbered the Greeks 2 to 1, and the worried Athenians sent word to Sparta for help.  Fearing the Spartans would arrive too late, the Athenian general took a chance.

10. Greek City States

11. Battle of Marathon (Continued)  He ordered the hoplites to line up facing the invaders as usual, but he packed the wings, or the far end of the line, tightly with soldiers.  When the Persians attacked the middle of the line and pushed forward, the Greek wings moved in to surround the Persians.  The much smaller Greek force trapped the mighty Persians and defeated them.

12. Marathon Formation

14. Greek Legend  A Greek legend tells about a messenger running all the way from Marathon to Athens to report the Greek victory over the Persians. After completing the 26 mile-run to Athens, the messenger died while proclaiming victory. In his honor, the Greeks added a 26-mile race called a marathon to the Olympic Games.

15. Marathon Route

16. Battle of Thermopylae  Xerxes was Darius’s son.  480 B.C. – he led an expedition of about 200,000 soldiers and more than 600 ships to conquer Greek territory.  The Greeks prepared with 200 ships in Athens’s navy, and Sparta and the Peloponnesian League on land.

17. Xerxes

18. Xerxes (300 rendition)

19. Battle of Thermopylae (continued)  Small Greek force fought Xerxes’ army at a mountain pass called Thermopylae.  Greeks defended this until the last soldier fell; Persians broke through, captured Athens, and set the city on fire.

20. Battle of Salamis Meanwhile the Athenian navy withdrew to a narrow straight between the Greek coastline and the island of Salamis.

21. Battle of Salamis  The Persian ships far outnumbered the Greeks, but their ships were too large to turn quickly in the narrow straight.  The lighter, faster Greek ships rammed into the Persian ships and sank them.  The Greeks destroyed about 200 ships, and Xerxes returned to Asia Minor.

22. Battle of Salamis

23. Battle of Salamis Map

24. Battle of Plataea  On land, the Spartans led the Greek army to victory in the Battle of Plataea.  Although an official peace agreement would not be made for another 30 years, the Persian threat to mainland Greece had been quieted.

25. Battle of Plataea

26. Delian League  After the Persian Wars began, Athens and about 150 city-states formed an alliance called the Delian League.  They vowed to fight the Persians and free the Greek lands still under Persian rule.  The members also agreed to pay tribute to Athens in the form of money or ships.  In return, Athens promised to protect the city-states with its powerful navy.

27. Delian League  467 B.C. – The Battle of Eurymedon River: the league freed several Greek city-states, pushing the Persians away from the Aegean.  Together, Athens and Sparta had played their roles to win the Persian War, but the victory set the stage for conflict between the two city-states.

28. Wrap Up  Darius I  Battle of Marathon  Xerxes  Battle of Thermopylae  Battle of Salamis  Battle of Plataea  Delian League  Battle of the Eurymedon River Describe the key people and events of the Persian Wars