- 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 information was formed in battle called the phalanx
PERSIAN WAR
- War between Greece and Persian Empire
- It first began in Ionia on the coast of Anantolia
- Greeks were settled there but Persians conquered it around 546 BC
- The Ionian Greeks revolted
- Athens sent soldiers to help in the revolt
- Darius the Great defeated the revolt and then vowed to destroy Athens
War Continues
- In 490 BC, the Persian fleet of 25,000 men landed in an area called Marathon
- 10000 Athenians meet them there
- After several hours of fighting
- Persians fled the battlefield
- 6,000 Persian lived were lost
- 200 or less Athenians lives were lost
Why Such a 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 were that runner
- He ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens
- Persians tried to quickly attach Athens after their defeat at Marathon, but the Athenians had already returned, so they fled once again
Ten Years Later
- Xerxes, During the Great;s son, had become to successor of the Persian army
- He brought an enormous army with him to complete the job that his father once vowed (To destroy Athens)
Greek Issues
- The Greek 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 allowed them to burn it
- Some even fought with the Persians
Famous Battle Of Thermopylae
- A narrow mountain pass was the the setting of this battle
- 7,000 Greeks and 300 Spartans stood in the way of Xerxes and his huge army on his push to get 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 as their best chance
- They were right, Xerxes watched as a 1/3 of this fleet was sunk. Truly diminishing his army
Lasting Effects of Persians War
- The Delain League was created. ( An Alliance of Greek city-states to continue to push Persians out of all Greece)
- Athenians was the head of the league and moved the headquarters of Athens
- This gave the Anthenians a lot of power and helped push them into their Golden Age
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