Classical Greece500 BCE – 338 BCE

Persian Wars 499-479 BCE

The Greek colonies in Asia Minor (green on this map) were overrun by the Persian army in the 6th century BCE.

In 499 BCE, the Ionian Greek cities in Asia Minor led an unsuccessful revolt against the Persian. This revolt caused Darius, the Persian ruler, to seek revenge.

In 490 BCE, Darius’ army landed on the plain of Marathon, 26 miles from Athens. The Athenian army, outnumbered, defeated the Persians. According to legend, the news was brought to Athens by Pheidippides, who raced the 26 miles to Athens and then dropped dead. The modern marathon is based on this story.

Persian Wars 499-479 BCE

After Darius died in 486 BCE, Xerxes assumed the throne and vowed revenge on the Greeks.

The Athenians prepared for Xerxes’ attack by rebuilding their navy. By the time Xerxes invaded, the Athenians had a fleet with around 200 vessels.

Xerxes invaded with about 180,000 troops and thousands of warships. The Greeks tried to delay the Persians at Thermopylae, a mountain pass on the main road to central Greece. The Greeks held off the Persians for two days, when they were betrayed and the Persians found a path to defeat them. The Athenians abandoned the city.

In 479 BCE, the Greeks united to form the largest army up to that point and defeated the Persian army at Plataea, north of Athens.

Athenian Empire 478 BCE 0 405 BCE

After the Persian War, the Athenians led the Greek world. In 478 BCE, the Athenians formed an alliance called the Delian League, to defend the Greeks against the Persians.

The main headquarters of the Delian League were on the island of Delos, but its commanders were all from Athens.

The Delian League attacked Persian in order to free the Greek States that had been under Persian control. (The areas in green on the map). In 454 BCE, the Athenians moved the treasury of the Delian League to Athens. Through the Delian League, the Athenians controlled a Greek empire.

Age of Pericles 461 – 429 BCE

Pericles

Pericles was a dominant figure in Athenian politics from 461 to 429 BCE.

Under Pericles, Athens expanded its empire.Pericles led the Athenian’s direct

democracy, a political system in which all eligible citizens participated in the government.

Pericles introduced reforms that allowed more Athenians to participate in their government.

Periclean System

The Athenian direct democracy was really a democracy of Athenian male citizens. No women or slaves participated.

The Athenian assembly had about 43,000 eligible males, but usually no more than 6,000 voted in the assembly.

The assembly met every 10 days on the hillside east of the Acropolis.

Acropolis

Athenian Democracy

The Athenian assembly passed all laws, elected public officials, and made decisions on foreign policy and war.

Pericles made lower-class male citizens eligible for public office, and he paid officeholders a stipend. This made it possible for poor citizens to participate in public affairs.

To participate, one must be a male citizen over the age of 18.

Athenian Government

Ten officials known as generals ran the government on a daily basis. The generals could be reelected, making it possible for the same person to hold office for long periods of time (which is how Pericles stayed in charge for so long!)

To rid themselves of too-powerful politicians, the Greeks devised the practice of ostracism. If at least 6000 citizens in the assembly wrote a politician’s name on pottery fragments, that person was banned from the city for ten years!

Periclean System

Pericles

Generals (Pericles was a General) Assembly

Council (smaller group of Assembly representatives)

Magistrates

Athens under Pericles

The Persian Wars had destroyed much of Athens.

Pericles’ started a rebuilding program and rebuilt temples and statues.

Athens became the center of Greek culture.Art, architecture, and philosophy flourished

under Pericles.Athens became known as “the School of

Greece”

Peloponnesian War

Peloponnesian WarThe Peloponnesian War was a war between the Athenians and the Spartans

After the Persians were defeated, the Greek world was split into two spheres of influence: Sparta and the Athenian empire

Sparta did not like the Athenians expanding influence, and a series of disputes and conflict led to the outbreak of war in 431 BCE

Athens StrategyAthens believed they had a winning strategy. They planned on staying behind the city walls and get supplies from their allies delivered by their navy. They built walls around the city and the port to keep the Spartans out.

Pericles knew the Spartans had the better military – the Spartans trained their soldiers from a very young age – so he wanted to avoid open battles.

Spartan Strategy

The Spartans tried to draw the Athenians out of their walls for open battle, where they knew they could beat the Athenians.

The Athenians had strong allies, however, who helped them with supplies and the navy.

PLAGUEDuring the second year of the war, a plague broke out in Athens, killing more than a third of its population.

Pericles died the following year.

The Athenians and their allies kept fighting despite their losses.

End of the Peloponnesian War

The Peloponnesian war lasted 27 years. In 405 BCE, the Athenian naval fleet was destroyed on the

Hellespont. Within a year, the Athenians surrendered. The Spartans tore down the walls surrounding Athens,

disbanded the navy, and destroyed the Athenian Empire. Even though the Spartans won, the major Greek states

were weakened by 25 years of fighting. The Greek states of Sparta, Athens, and Thebes competed

for 66 years to dominate Greek affairs. While the Greeks were fighting for dominance over Greece,

they ignored Macedonia, which was becoming a powerful country to their north.