Dorian cont.
1. 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 hand, shield in the other
2. Start of 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 B.C.
- The Ionian Greeks revolted -Athens sent soldiers to help in the revolt - Darius the Great defeated the revolt and then vowed to destroy Athens.
3. War Continues
- In 490 B.C., 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 - 6,000 Persian lives were lost - 200 or less Athenian lives were lost
4. 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 were fighting on their homeland
5. 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
6. Ten Years Later
- Xerxes, Darius the Great's son, had become the successor of the Persian army
- He brought and enormous army with him to complete the job that his father once vowed
7. 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 though it wasn't worth it, and they should just allow them to burn it - some even fought with the Persians
8. Famous Battle of Thermoplyae
- 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 o this push to get to Athens
- Xerxes underestimated the Greeks and Spartans, however, they stood up for three days to them
9. 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
10. 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
11. Battle of Salamis
- Greeks abandoned Athens, because they thought that fighting at sea was their best chance
- They were right, Xerxes watched as 1/3 of this fleet was sunk. Truly diminishing his army.
12. 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 were the head of the league and moved the headquarter to Athens
- This gave the Athenians a lot of power and helped push them into their golden age
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