New technology
during the dorian age only the rich could really afford to buy the bronze weaponry and armor
iron later replaced bronze and allowed the common man to be able to arm himself and fight battles.
also a new formation was formed in battle called the Phalanx
Phalanx-spear in one hand and shield in the other
start of the persian war- war between greece and persian Empire
it first began in Ionia on the coast of anatolia
Greeks were settled there but persians conquered it around 546 B.C.
The Ionian Greeks revolted
- Athens sent soldiers to help in the revolt
- Darius the Great defeated the revolt and then vowed to destroy Athens.
In 490 B.C. the persian fleet of 25000 men landed in an area called Marathon
10000 Athenians meet them there
After several hours of fighting persians fled the battlefield
6000 persian lives were lost
200 or less athenian lives were lost
Athenians were using this new fighting formation called the phalanx
the persians were not well trained in this type of land fighting
the persians also wore very light armor compared to that of the athenians
athenians were fighting on their homeland
even though athenians had won they left their city without much of an army
According to tradition army leaders would send a runner to alert athens of the battle
Pheidippides was that runner
he ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens
Persians tried to quickly attack athens after their defeat at marathon but the athenians had already returned so they fled once again
10 years later Xerxes, darius the great's son, had become the successor of the persian army
he brought an enourmous army with him to complete the job that his father once vowed
Greek issues
The greeks were very divided on how to handle the persian situation
some city states thought that they should fight them and defend their city of athens
some city states thought it wasn't worth the loss and they should just allow them to burn it
some even fought with the persians
Famous Battle of Thermopylae
A narrow mountain pass was the setting of this battle 7000 greeks and 300 spartans stood in the way of Xerxes and his huge army on this push to get athens
xerxes underestimated the greeks and spartans and sent most of his less experienced men
fearing defeat the spartans fought the persians so that the greeks could flee to fight another day
all 300 were killed including leonidas
lasting effects of spartan sacrifice
made a great impression on the greeks
allowed the remaining Greeks to retreat and fight the persians again
showed xerxes what he was up against
battle of salamis
Greeks abandoned athens, because they thought that fighting at sea was their best chance
they were right Xerxes watched as a third of his fleet was sunk. truly diminishing his army
lasting effects of persian war
The delian was created. an alliance of Greek city states to continue to push the persians out of Greece
Athenians were the head of the league and moved the headquarters to athens
this gave the athenians a lot of power and helped push them into their golden age
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