Persian Wars
Peloponnesian War
Alexander the Great
Sparta fights Persia at the Battle of Thermopylae. -300 Men
The Spartan bravery was an inspiration to all Greece.
Battle of Marathon
Persians attack 26 miles from Marathon
Sparta does not help Athens
Athens wins a huge victory
A soldier runs the 26.2 miles to tell the city
Others fought beside Athens
Persia loses to Athens
Athens & other city-states
Athens emerged as the most powerful city-state
Delian League formed—alliance system between the Greek City-States
Treasury used to rebuild Athens
Greek against Greek
Athens against Sparta
Sparta defeated Athens
Led to the downfall of Greek power
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
WHY SO GREAT? SAYS WHO?
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)
The king of Macedonia who conquered the Persian empire and annexed it to Macedonia, is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times.
At 20, Alexander ascended to the Macedonian throne when his father was assassinated.
He first united Macedonia with Greece city-states
He then turned east…
The Macedonian army soon encountered the Persian army under King Darius III
Alexander attacked an army of Persians and Greek hoplites (heavily armed foot soldiers of ancient Greece) who distinguished themselves on the side of the Persians against the Macedonians.
Alexander's forces defeated the enemy (totaling 40,000 men) and, according to tradition, lost only 110 men.
Alexander entered Egypt in 331 BC. When he arrived, he was welcomed, and he ordered a city to be designed and founded in his name at the mouth of the river Nile.
Alexandria would become one of the major cultural centers in the Mediterranean world in the following centuries.
He was then made pharaoh voluntarily by the Egyptians, who despised living under Persian rule. He exchanged letters with Darius who offered a truce and a with a gift of several western provinces of the Persian Empire.
Alexander refused to make peace unless he could have the whole empire.
ALEXANDER MARCHED HIS ARMY AGAIN TO PERSIA
THE FOUGHT AND DEFEATED THE PERSIANS FOR GOOD
ALEXANDER WAS DECLARED KING OF PERSIA
HE’S NOW KING OF MACEDONIA AND GREECE, PHAROH OF EGYPT, AND KING OF PERSIA
NOT BAD FOR A 25 YEAR OLD HUH?
HE MARCHED FOR 11 YEARS AND NEVER LOST A BATTLE
NO ONE IS EXACTLY SURE WHAT HAPPENED, BUT HE DIES AT THE AGE OF 33
HIS EMPIRE FELL APART SOON AFTER HIS DEATH.
HE DID NOT LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RULE, ONLY CONQUER
CREATED A NEW CULTURE
“HELLENISTIC” A BLENDING OF 4 DIFFERENT CULTURES
GREEK CULTURE PERSIAN CULTURE
EGYPTIAN CULTURE INDIAN CULTURE
UNITED AN EMPIRE OF 22 MILLION SQUARE MILES
SET UP COMMON MONEY FOR HIS REALM
MADE GREEK THE DOMINANT LANGUAGE IN THE AREA
70 CITIES ARE NAMED ALEXANDRIA IN HIS HONOR
USED GREEK, MACEDONIAN AND PERSIANS TO RUN HIS EMPIRE
FORCED HIS SOLDIERS TO INTERMARRY WITH PERSIAN, EGYPTIANS AND INDIANS
HE MARRIED PERSIAN AND GREEK AND INDIAN PRINCESSES
HAD FAMILIES SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO GREECE FOR SCHOOL
SET THE STAGE FOR ROME TO CONQUER IN THE FUTURE
ALLOWED GREEK CULTURE TO SURVIVE FOR 1000 YEARS