CH 7: Ancient GreeceLesson 3

World HistoryMr. Rich

Miami Arts Charter

Sections: Part 1: Persia’s Empire

Part 2: First Persian War

Part 3: Second Persian War

Section 1: Persia’s Empire Building the Empire (540 BCE)

Cyrus the Great conquers Mesopotamia, Syria, Judah, and Anatolia

Royal Road links heart of empire

Persian Government Divided into satrapies (provinces)

Section 1: Persia’s Empire

Zoroastrianism Founded by Zoroaster in 600 BCE Followers worship Ahura Mazda “Wise Lord” Duality between “good” and “evil”

Question: How did Persian Rulers unite their vast empire?

Section 2: First Persian War

War Begins (490 BCE) Athenians support revolt in Anatolia Revolt crushed by Darius Darius sends fleet to attack Greece

Battle of Marathon 10,000 Athenian soldiers against 20,000 Persian

Soldiers Athenians won’t attack Persians Persians load cavalry onto ships to attack Athens Athenian army then attacks and destroys Persian army Greek victory

The Phalanx

Section 3: Second Persian War War begins (480 BCE)

Xerxes (son of Darius) swears revenge Persians send an army of 200,000 soldiers Greeks raise an army of 7,000 to defend Athens

Battle of Thermopylae King Leonidas of Sparta leads Greek army Stalls the Persian army at a mountain pass Battle lasts three days Greeks betrayed by local who tells the Persians how

to get around the mountains and attack the Greeks from behind

Section 3: Second Persian War Athens attacked

Persian army marches to Athens Themistocles ordered city abandoned Takes fleet of ships to island of Salamis Athens is burned by Persians

Battle of Salamis Greeks lure Persian fleet to the island of Salamis Persians move large fleet up a narrow straight Smaller Greek fleet of triremes destroys Persian

fleet Xerxes flees back to Persia

Greek Triremes

Section 3: Second Persian War Persian Defeat

Greek army fights remaining Persian army at Plataea (479 BCE)

Persians defeated - peace eventually declared in 449 BCE

Persia never fully recovers from war and begins a slow decline

Question: After the losses in Greece, why did the Persians

grow unhappy with their government?