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 with iron and that allowed the common man to be able to arm himself and join the armies
- Also a new formation was formed in battled called a phalanx(Spear in one hand shield in the other).
Start of Persian War
- War between Persian Empire and Greece
- Began I Ionia on the coast of Anatolia
- Greeks were settled there but Persians conquered it around 546 BC
- The Ionian Greek revolted.(Athens sent soldiers to help in the revolt, Darius the Great defeated the revolt and vowed to destroy Athens)
War continues
- In 490 BC, the Persian fleet of 25,000 men landed in an area called Marathon.
- 10,000 Athenian meet them there
- Several hour of fighting (Persians fled lost 6,000 lives and 200 Athenians lives)
- Athenians used the Phalanx formation
- Persians weren’t trained in this type of land fighting
- The Persian wore light armor
- Athenians were fighting on 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 attack Athens but the Athenian were back so the Persian had to flee 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 his father once vowed.
Greek issues
- The Greeks were very divided on how to handle the Persian situation.
- Some City-states thought they should fight others just thought it wasn’t worth it and some even fought with the Persians
Battle of Thermopylae
- A narrow mountain pass was the setting of this battle
- 7,000 Greeks and 300 Spartans stood ing the way of Xerxes and his huge army on this posh to get to Athens
- Xerxes underestimated the Greeks and Spartans but the lasted for 3 days
- 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
- 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 this fleet was suck. 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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