Classical Greece
Persian War:
- New Technology:
- During the Dorian Age, only the rich could afford 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 (spear in one hand, shield in the other)
- During the Dorian Age, only the rich could afford the bronze weaponry and armor
- 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 BC
- The Ionian Greeks https://mrbruns.ning.com/profiles/blog/newrevolted
- Athens sent soldiers to help in the revolt
- Darius the Great defeated the revolt and then vowed to destroy Athens
- In 490 BC the Persian fleet of 25000 men landed in an area called Marathon
- 10000 Athenians met them there
- After several hours of fighting, Persians fled the battlefield, 6000 Persian lives were lost, and 200 or less Athenians lives were lost
- The Athenians were using this new fighting formation called the phalanx
- Persians were not well trained in this type of land fighting
- Persians also wore very light armor compared to that of the Athenians
- Athenians were fighting on their homeland
- Marathon
- 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.
- Ten years later
- Xerxes, Darius the Great's son, had become the successor of the Persian army
- He brought an enormous army with him to complete the job that his father once vowed.
- Xerxes, Darius the Great's son, had become the successor of the Persian army
- Greek issues
- 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 it, and they should just allow them to burn it
- Some even fought with the Persians
- Greeks were very divided on how to handle the Persian situation
- 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 to Athens
- Xerxes underestimated the Greeks and Spartans, however, they stood up for three day to them
- 300
- A traitor went to Xerxes and informed him of a secret path around the pass
- Fearing defeat, the Spartans fought the Persians so that the Greeks could flee to fight another day
- All 300 Spartans 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 1/3 of this fleet was sunk. Truly diminishing his army
- Lasting effects of the Persian War
- The Delian League was created. (An alliance of Greek city-states to continue to push the Persians out of all Greece.)
- Athenians was 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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