The Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between Greek city-states led by Athens and the mighty Persian Empire from 499 BCE to 449 BCE. In 490 BCE, Athens defeated a larger Persian invasion force at the Battle of Marathon. However, the Persians returned in 480 BCE under Xerxes, landing a huge army in Greece. At Thermopylae, a small Spartan force delayed the Persians before being overwhelmed. The decisive Greek naval victory over the Persian fleet at Salamis prevented Athens from being captured. Following the wars, Athens led the formation of the Delian League to provide security against Persia but over time abused its power over the other city-states.

1. Persian War
499 BCE - 449 BCE

2. Persian War (499 – 449 BCE)
By 500 BCE, Athens had
emerged as the wealthiest Greek
city-state.

3. Persian War (499 – 449 BCE)
Persians had conquered the Greek
city-states of Ionia.
IoniaIonia

4. Persia was in the
process of creating the
largest empire yet under
the rule of Darius I
 Son of Cyrus the Great
Remember, he freed
the Israelites from the
Babylonian Captivity.
Persia…What’s up with them?

5. Persian War (499 – 449 BCE)
In 499, the Ionian Greeks rebelled
against Persian rule
Ionian
City
States

6. Persian War (499 – 449 BCE)
 Athens sent ships to help their Ionian cousins, but
the rebellion was quickly crushed by the superior
Persian forces.
 Darius was furious at Athens for interfering and
was determined to punish them for their meddling.

7. Battle of Marathon (490 BCE)
 In time, the Persians sent a mighty naval
force which landed near Marathon, a
plain just north of Athens.
 Athenians asked for help from other city-
states, but no one responded.

8. Athens
Marathon

9. Battle of Marathon
 Outnumbered three to one, the
Athenians faced the mighty Persians
alone.

11. Battle of Marathon
 Despite overwhelming
odds, the Athenians
managed to break the
Persian line, fought
fiercely, sending the
Persians fleeing for
the safety of their
ships.

12. Battle of Marathon
 Athenians sent Pheidippides back to the
city to tell of their great victory and warn
Athens to be on the look out for the
Persians who might attack while the city
was defenseless.

13. Battle of Marathon
Though exhausted, he ran the 26
miles back to the city where he told
the waiting Athenians “Rejoice, we
conquer!” and then dropped dead.

14. Results Battle of Marathon
 Today we honor Pheidippides with
the sporting event - marathon of
26.2 miles.

15. Results of Battle of Marathon
Athenians knew
that the
Persians would
be back
someday.

16. Results of Battle of Marathon
 At the urging of
Themistocles, leader
of Athens, Athenians
built a fleet of 200
warships as well as
prepared other
defenses.

17. Battle of Thermopylae
Darius died before he
could mount another
attack, but his son,
Xerxes (Zerksies) sent
an even larger force to
Thermopylae to conquer
Greece in 480 BCE.

18. Athens
Marathon
Sparta
Thermopylae

19. Battle of Thermopylae
This time, Athens had persuaded its
militaristic neighbor, Sparta and other
Greek city-states to join the fight against
Persia.
A small Spartan
force guarded the
narrow mountain
pass at
Thermopylae.

20. Battle of Thermopylae
 Under the
leadership of Leonidas
of Sparta, this small
force held the Persian
army back for as long
as they could before
they were
overwhelmed.

21. Battle of Thermopylae
 This allowed the
Persians to march
onto Athens. The
city was empty,
everyone having
fled to safety.
Persians torched
the city anyway.

22. Battle of Salamis
 Here is where that fleet of
warships proved valuable.
 Athenians lured the Persian navy
into the narrow strait of Salamis.

25. Battle of Salamis
 The smaller, faster, more maneuverable
Greek ships outflanked the great Persian
navy and rammed the enemy ships, sinking
almost the entire Persian fleet.

29. Results of the Persian War
 Increased the Greeks sense of their own
uniqueness.
 Athens and Sparta united against the Persian
Empire.
 Athenian victories at Marathon and Salamis
left Greeks in control of the Aegean Sea
 Preserved their political independence and
continued innovations in government and
culture.

30. Delian League
 After the war, Athens was not only
the wealthiest city-state, it was
also the most powerful.
 To maintain that power and to
ensure that Persia would not pose
another threat, Athens organized
the Delian League, an alliance with
other Greek city-states.

31. Delian League
Of course, Athens was the
dominant city and used that
leadership position to its benefit.

32. Delos – island where the treasury of
the Delian League was originally kept.

33. Delian League
 Athens used its influence to move the
treasury of the league from Delos to
Athens, thereby being able to control
the money.
 Much of this money went to rebuild
Athens, something which other
member cities weren’t happy with!

34. Treasury of Athens at Delphi – built to celebrate the
victory at the Battle of Marathon in the Persian War.

35. Delian League
When other city-states threatened
to leave, Athens used force to
make them remain in the
league.