The document summarizes the Persian Wars between 500-479 BCE, where the Greek city-states defeated the mighty Persian Empire in a series of battles. It describes the key battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea, where significantly outnumbered Greek forces were able to defeat the massive Persian armies and navies. The victories established Athens as the most powerful city-state and helped spread democracy in Greece, while ensuring Persia would no longer invade.

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PERSIAN WARS

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The Persian Wars
From 500-479 BCE, the Greeks provoked and
then survived the mighty Persian Empire.

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The Persian Wars
Together, the small citizen
armies defeated the titanic
Persians army.

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 To free citizens it was better to die free than to live
as a slave under the Persians.

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The First Persian War
499 B.C- 494 B.C.
 Cause
 The Ionian Greeks rebel
against the Persian Empire.
 Response
 Athens sends weapons,
ships and money to help
them.

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The First Persian War 499 - 494 B.C.
Result:
 Darius I crushes the rebellion and plans
to invade Athens by sea.
Darius I
549-486 BC

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The First Persian War 499 - 494 B.C.
Result:
 However, his fleet is wrecked by a storm.

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The Second Persian War 492-490 BC
Cause
 In 492, Darius sends a
50,000 man army to
destroy Athens and
her allies.
 Every day a servant
said to Darius
“Master, remember
the Athenians”

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Eretria
The
Persians
bunt many
northern
Greek
Polis.

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Major Battles
The Second Persian War 492-490 BCE
Athens sends Pheidippides to ask
Sparta for help, but they will not
come. They want to fight the
Persians in the Peloponnese

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Athens
and her
allies met
the
Persians at
Marathon.

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Battle of Marathon:
 Persia- 25,000 -50,000
Athens -9,000 allies- 1,000

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Persian soldiers
The majority of the Persian
Army were conscript and
mercenary soldiers.

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Persian immortals

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Miltiades Athenian General and
Politian

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11,00 Athenian &
Plataean Hoplites
The hoplites were
Polis citizen solders.

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Phalanx Formation

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Persians
(Datis)
Persians
(Datis)
19,000 light infantry, archers
and javelin throwers
1,000 cavalry
Athenians & Plataeans
(Miltiades)
11,000 hoplites
Athenians & Plateans
(Miltiades)
The Immortals
The Immortals are Persia’s most elite unit
which double as an imperial guard and
conventional land force. Their numerical
strength is always supplemented to 10,000,
dead or wounded being replaced immediately.
This is done to preserve the cohesion and
mystique of the unit.
Miltiades deploys his army in a long, thin line across the valley to prevent the Persian cavalry from rounding his flanks.
Datis extends his line accordingly to prevent encirclement. Miltiades places more weight on his wings at the expense of his
center while Datis distributes his troops evenly but places his heavier elite infantry, the Immortals, at his center.
The Athenians sprint towards the Persians, the wings edging ahead of the center, in order to negate the Persian
advantage of having significant numbers of missile throwers. The Persian missile throwers underestimate the fitness of the
hoplites and the speed of their advance; most of their missiles land harmlessly behind the Athenians.
Not surprisingly, the greater weight of Miltiades’ wings push back those of the lightly armoured Persians while Datis’
Immortals push back the thinly manned Athenian center. Due to the surprise achieved, the Persian cavalry was on a
foraging assignment and is only now ready to partake in the battle.

19. Valarie YoungSome Persians drown after unknowingly running into marshland. The remaining Persian units are pounded by the
Athenian hoplites on the beaches, where they suffer the majority of their casualties. Although the Persians escape by sea,
the Athenians capture seven of their ships.
Not surprisingly, the greater weight of Miltiades’ wings push back those of the lightly armoured Persians while Datis’
Immortals push back the thinly manned Athenian center. Due to the surprise achieved, the Persian cavalry was on a
foraging assignment and is only now ready to partake in the battle.
Sensing the danger to his centre, Miltiades orders it to hang back. Datis however does not sense the danger to his wings.
Just as the Athenian center appears to break, the Persian wings are soundly defeated and retreat in disarray. The
Athenian wings surround the Persian centre and begin to assault its flanks.
The Persians are still numerically superior so Miltiades leaves a passage of retreat, knowing a desperate enemy fights its
hardest. The Persian center, besieged on three sides, panics and retreats in disarray along with the wings. The Persian
cavalry counterattacks before being swept away, but this allows Datis to organize a rearguard.
Persians
(Datis)
Athenians & Plateans
(Miltiades)
Persians
(Datis)
19,000 light infantry, archers
and javelin throwers
1,000 cavalry
Athenians & Plataeans
(Miltiades)
11,000 hoplites
The Immortals
The Immortals are Persia’s most elite unit
which double as an imperial guard and
conventional land force. Their numerical
strength is always supplemented to 10,000,
dead or wounded being replaced immediately.
This is done to preserve the cohesion and
mystique of the unit.

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Battle of Marathon
6,400 Persians dead, 192 Athenians

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Pheidippides
 Ran to Athens from Marathon = 26 miles 41.8 Km
 He dies after proclaiming the news of the victory.

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The army
returns to
Athens ,
The Persian
fleet sails
back
home.

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The Second Persian War 492-490 BCE
 Sparta did not even fight!
 Results: Athens’ reputation increases across Greece.
 Athenians believe more in their democracy as the
rational and best way of government.
 More polis decide for democracy.

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The Second Persian War 490 BC
 Themistocles convinces the citizens of
Athens to build a fleet, preparing for
another attack.

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Trireme
200-300 citizen rowers

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The Second Persian War 490 BC
 Athens forms a defensive league with
other city-states the Delian League.

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Third Persian War 480 BCE
 Darius’ son Xerses
invades Athens
by land and sea.

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Xerses invades Greece by land and sea.
He personally
Leads an
army of
180,000 to
300,000
And a fleet of
300 war
ships.

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Third Persian War 480 B.C.
Major Battles
 August 480 BCE
Battle of
Thermopylae
300 Spartans and
6000 Greeks led
by King Leonidas
hold off 300,000
Persians.
300-Battle Scene_(360p).flv

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Battle of Thermopylae August 480 BCE

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The Spartans gain time so most of the Athenians retreat
to Salamis.

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 Xersus marches on Athens and burns it.
The Persian fleet closes in on the Delian fleet at Salamis

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Third Persian War 480 B.C.
Sicinnus (Themistocles’
slave) told Xerses that
the Greek fleet would
move out of the bay and
escape.
The Persians row all night
to stop them.
The Persians divide their
fleet to block all exits
out of the straights.
Battle of Salamis

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 Artemisia, queen of
Halicarnassus
commanded a Persian
naval squadron
 She advised Xerses to
wait for the Greeks to
surrender, believing a
battle in the straits of
Salamis unwise.

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Third Persian War 480 BCE Yahoo! Video Search Results for battle of
salamis3.wmv
Major Battles
September Battle of Salamis

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September Battle of Salamis
The Persians row
all night to stop
them.
The Persians
divide their fleet
to block all exits
out of the
straights

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Trireme

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Third Persian War 480 B.C.
The fresh Athenian crews
rip apart the exhausted
Persian navy.
They sink more than 200
Persian ships.
Yahoo! Video Search Results for battle of salamis3.wmv
Battle of Salamis

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 The Greeks sail to
destroy Xerses bridge
across the Hellespot.
 Xerses divides his army
in two, leading one
against the Hellespot.
 The other to sack Athens
again the following
spring.

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Third Persian War 479 BCE
Battle of Plataea
 The combined armies of Athens and Sparta defeat the
Persians again.

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June 479 BCE Battles of Plataea
 Pausanias leads 40,000
Greek Hoplites from
Athens, Sparta, and
allied Greek polis
 Mardonius leads 120,000
Persian troops, heavy on
cavalry including the
Immortals

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June 479 BCE Battles of Plataea
 Allies  Athenians Spartans

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June 479 BC: Battles of Plataea
 Allies  Athenians Spartans

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June 479 BC: Battles of Plataea
 Allies  Athenians Spartans

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June 479 BC: Battles of Plataea
 Allies  Athenians Spartans

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June 479 BC: Battles of Plataea
 Allies  Athenians Spartans

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June 479 BC: Battles of Plataea
 Allies  Athenians Spartans

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June 479 BC: Battles of Plataea
 The Greeks loose up to 1100 men.
 The Persians army is completely destroyed nearly 100
percent or 120,000 casualties.

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Third Persian War:
The Outcome!
•Democracy of Athens’ status increases
among the polis.
•More polis decide for democracy and
join the Delian league.

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Triumph of Democracy and
Freedom
 If the Persians had won, democracy and freedom would
have died in the West.
 The founders of the USA used the example of Athenian
democracy to make its constitution.
 The Persians would not invade Greece again.

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The Impact of the Persian Wars
1. Athens is the most powerful city-state.
2. 150 Greek city states join the Delian League.
3. Athens creates an economic empire out of it. s
4. Athens enters into a Golden Age of science and
arts.
5. Sparta starts forms the Peloponnesian League in
opposition to it.

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Homework
 Page 125
 1-5
 Bonus 9

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Next time Classical Greece
Pg 123-133

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The Delian League Permanent
 Alliance headed by
Pericles of Athens
 To defend against future
Persian invasion
 Members pay dues
 Problems
1. Members could not
leave the alliance
2. Pericles used $ to
rebuild Athens
3. Promoted
democracies only
Sparta not
happy!

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