The Persian Wars between Greece and Persia lasted from 499 BCE to 479 BCE. Key events included the Ionian Revolt in 499 BCE, the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE where Athens defeated the Persians, the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE where Spartans held off the Persians, the naval Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE where the Greek navy defeated the larger Persian navy, and the final Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BCE, ending the wars.

1. Persian Wars

2. The Timeline Battle of Plataea
Ionian Battle of
Battle of
Revolt Marathon
Thermopylae,
Begins
Battle of
Salamis Strait
499 BCE 479 BCE
War War Ends
Begins
490
BCE
480
BCE

3. The Process
 Look at the chain of events
 For your side, write a short
journal entry about how you
would react if you had been
there. Think about what you
would need as an empire or
city state from others, how you
would feel, what your next step
would be
 Write that down (like a boss)
 See what actually happened at
write that down too. Nope, that‟s a guy named
Hoss

4. Information about Greeks
 Were not allies at
beginning of the war
 Athens and Sparta most
powerful city states of the
many throughout the
Mediterranean
Athens
 Sparta excels at land Sparta
combat
 Athens, while having
many soldiers, has a very
strong navy

5. Greek Warfare
 Naval Warfare
 Greek Ships called
Triremes- rowed ship with
heavy Iron Ram on front
 Land Warfare
 Uses Phalanx Tactics
 metal shields
 Spears and swords (close
range weapons)

6. The Persians
 Began as a small tribe in Iran
 Expanded quickly into the largest empire in
history
 King Darius allowed conquered nations to keep
their religions and kings in exchange for tribute
(money or goods) and troops for the army

7. Duuuuude look at the size of that
Empire

8. Persian Weapons
 Leather and wood shields
 Short Swords
 Depended on large
number of archers
 Had larger navy than
Athens

9. Event 1: Ionians Revolt
 The Persians had taken
over Greek Settlements in
Ionia- on the coast of Asia
Minor
 The Greeks had moved
there after the collapse of
Mycenae and the beginning
of the Greek Dark Ages
 They had to contribute
soldiers and tribute to
Persians in exchange for Why is our horse behind
being a part of the empire-
our Chariot?
they had be conquered.

10. The Reaction
 Athens sends troops to
Ionia as well as ships.
 The Persians are defeated
in one battle
 The Athenians leave
 Persia comes back, burns
city of Miletus to the ground
 People are sold into
slavery- normal at the time
 Persia now mad at the
Athenians

11. Event 2: Battle of Marathon
Darius decides to invade the
Greek mainland and take
it over.
Sends messengers to ask
for surrender
Greeks- according to legend
throw messengers into a
pit
So in real history I‟m Athenian?
And this happens 20 years
before? I thought movies were
always accurate…

12. Reactions
 Darius is furious
Spartaaaaa? Can
 Sends troops to Marathon, a city you help us?
outside of Athens (about 26.2
miles)
 A runner is sent to run to Sparta to
ask for help- the Marathon
commemorates this run
 Sparta is having a religious festival
and can‟t help until tomorrow Sorry it‟s a
religious
 Athenians meet them with their Holidaaaaaaay!
allies- led by Militades
 Sweep around the Persians,
surround them and defeat them „Tis on Athens!
 Greeks form an Alliance to protect
against further Persian Aggression

13. Event 3: Battle of
Thermopylae
 Darius has died
 Xerxes, his son decides that
the time has come to try to
invade again
 Marches on Greece with
largest army and navy ever
assembled
 Army marches across a
man made bridge over the
Hellespont toward Greece
 Navy sails through a man
made canal to avoid storms
The Hellespont destroyed 1st bridge,
so Xerxes ordered it to be whipped
for being bad…seriously

14. What Actually Happened
 The Greeks use their
alliance
 Athens and Sparta lead
army and fleet to fight
against Persians- anyone
who can possibly fight, even
the poor of Athens are
brought in
 Sparta makes a stand at
Thermopylae
 Athens makes stand at
Salamis- a strait (narrow
point in water) Hold on, I lost my contact. Has
anyone seen it? Seriously guys?
Just one second and we can get
back to it.

15. Thermopylae
 Small passage between mountains- makes it hard for
Archers to shoot, hard for troops in come in large numbers-
Xerxes loses his biggest advantage
 A traitor shows the way around
 The Spartans decide to stay and defend- “give us your
arms” “Come and get them”
 About 1300 men (300 were Spartans- fought to the death to
stop the Persians
 Athens panics and abandons the city- only
women, children, elderly left while all others are off fighting
 Xerxes burns it to the ground

17. Event 4: Salamis Strait
 Athenian navy commander-
Themistocles thought of way to
defeat the larger Persian navy
 Used similar tactics to
Spartans- Salamis strait was a
small channel between two
areas of land.
 Told Persians that he wanted to
switch sides
 Persians came to join
him, Greeks retreat, suddenly
attack and ram 300 ships down
before the Persians retreat

18. Athens is that way
a few miles

19. Event 5: Battle of Plataea
 Xerxes retreats back to Asia
Minor
 Bridges at Hellespont have
been destroyed- weather is
not a fan of Xerxes
 Leaves an army to attack in
the Spring
 Greeks have to decide
whether or not to continue
their alliance

20. What Happened
 Greeks Continue their
alliance
 Xerxes attacks in the Spring
 80,000 allied Greek soldiers
defeat the Persian Army
 Athens has been
destroyed, but comes at as
the city state that defeated
the Persian Navy, created
the alliance. Is poised to
become the most powerful
city state in Athens- a
Golden Age