Start of the Persian War
-War between Greece in Persian Empire
-Frist began in Ionia on the coast of Anatolia
-Greeks were settled in there but persians conquered it around 546 BC
-Ionian Greeks revolted. athenians sent soilders to help. darius the great vowed to defeat the revolt and destroy Athens.
War Continues
-in490 BC the persian fleet of 25,000 men landed in an area called Marathon
-10,000 athenians meet them there
-after several hours persians left the battlefeild, 6,000 persian lives were lost, 200 or less athenians lives were lost.
Why Such a Victory?
-the athenians were using this new fighting formation called the phalanax
-the persians were not 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
Marathon
-even though athenians hhad won they left their city without much of an army
-according to tradition army leaders would send a runner to alert the athens of the battle
-pheidippides was the run
-he ran 26 miles from marathon to athens
-persians tried to quickly attack athens after their defeat at marathon, but thee athenians had already returned, so they fled once again.
Ten Years Later
-xerxes, darius the greats son, had become the successor of the persian army
-he brought an enourmous army with him to complee the job that his father once vowed(to destroy athens)
Greek Issues
-the greeks were ver ydicided on how to handle the persian situation.
-some city states thought they should fight them and defend there city of athens
-some city states thought it wasnt worth it, 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
-7,000 greeks and 300 spartans stood in the way xerxes and his huge army on this push to get to athens.
-xerses underestimated the greeks and spartan and they stoof up and defended for three days.
300
-a traitor went to xerses and infromed 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 were killed including leonidas
Lasting Effects of Spartan Sacrafice
-made a great impression on the greeks
-allowed the reamining greeks to retreat and fight the perians 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 to his army.
Lasting Effects of the Persian War
-the delian league was created. an alliance to greek city states ti continue to push the persians out of all of greece
-athenians was the head of the league and moved the headquarters to athens
-this gave the athenians a lot of power and heloed push them into their golden age.
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