Persian War
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
- spear in one had shield in 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 546BC
- The Ionian Greeks revolted
- Darius the Great defeated the revolt and then vowed to destroy Athens
- Athens sent soldiers to help in the revolt
War Continues
- in 490 BC the Persian fleet of 25,000 men landed in an area called Marathon
- 10,000 Athenians meet them there
- After several hours of fighting
- Persians fled the battlefield
- 6000 Persians lives were lost
- less Athenians lives were lost
Why Such Victory
- The 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 would 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 the 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 it and they should just allow them to burn it
- Some even fought with the Persian-for money and to live
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 days 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 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 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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