3211 BR Although the Spartans did not fight

3/2/11 BR: Although the Spartans did not fight at the battle of Marathon, they did fight the Persian King ____ at _____. Even though all the ______ died in this battle, the ______ advance into Greece was slowed. Today: Assembling Your Storyboards

IONIAN REVOLT • Persia took control of all Greek city-states along coast of Asia Minor in 547 BC – Region known as Ionia • Ionian city-states rebelled against Persian rule in 499 BC – Sought aid from mainland Greece • Only Athens and Eretria responded • This aid allowed Ionian city-states to put up fierce resistance to Persians – But revolt was nonetheless defeated by 494 BC

DARIUS I • Persian emperor Darius I determined to punish Athens and Eretria for aiding Ionian rebellion – Sent fleet to Greece with goal of conquering both citystates and teaching the entire mainland a lesson it would never forget

BATTLE OF MARATHON • Eretria fell quickly to the Persians • Persians then entered the plain of Marathon and headed for Athens – Athenians wasted several days debating strategy • Finally decided to request reinforcements from Sparta and send a 9000 hoplite army met Persians at Marathon – By the time Spartan reinforcement arrived, Athens had won battle • By using new tactic of “collapsing center”

AFTERMATH OF MARATHON • Athenians saw victory at Marathon as vindication of their adoption of democratic reforms of Cleisthenes – More democratic reforms followed • More elected offices opened up to demos • Introduction of practice of ostracism – To check against overly ambitious men – To make a clear-cut decision between conflicting policies advocated by different individuals • Athens also embarked on huge naval construction program – Financed by silver in Laurium – Resulted in fleet of 200 ships

A NEW ATTACK • Persians made plans for another invasion – With goal of conquering entire peninsula – Led by new emperor, Xerxes • Greeks prepare for invasion by setting up defensive line stretching from pass at Thermopylae to northern tip of Euboea

BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE • Thermopylae was narrow pass through mountains – Since only a few soldiers could get through at a time, Greeks hoped it would nullify Persian numerical advantage – 7000 men held pass commanded by King Leonidas of Sparta • Persians could not make any headway against Greeks for several days – Greek traitor led Persians around pass and they came in behind Greeks • Leonidas sent most men away and kept 1400 to hold pass • Wiped out by Persians

BATTLE OF SALAMIS • Athens evacuated population to nearby seaside fort of Salamis – Persians hesitated to attack because Bay of Salamis was full of Athenian ships • Athenians tricked Persians into entering bay with their navy – Smaller, more maneuverable Athenian ships then destroyed Persian fleet • Xerxes withdrew back to Asia Minor

FINAL VICTORIES • Xerxes still had 300, 000 man army in Greece • Spartan commander Pausanias set up camp in plain below Persian army at Plataea – Persians attacked but Spartans counter-attacked and achieved victory • A few weeks later, Athenian navy liberated Ionian citystates • Alliance of Spartan land power and Athenian naval power had defeated the most powerful empire in the world

PROBLEMS AMONG THE GREEKS • Sparta should have led an alliance designed to protect Greece – But this did not happen • Because Spartan army could never be gone from city for long because of danger of helot uprising – Could not therefore provide long-range military leadership required • Persians still raided Asia Minor – Naval power required to handle this threat • Athens therefore became the head of new Greek alliance

DELIAN LEAGUE • New alliance known as Delian League (478 -77 BC) – Sparta created smaller alliance called Peloponnesian League • Purpose of Delian League was offensive and defensive – Athens dominated decision -making process – Military commanders were all Athenians – Athens administered finances and took 50% of all loot • Athens dominated the Delian League from the very start

EXPANSION OF ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY • Athenian democracy continued to evolve under reforms of Pericles – Fundamental motivation was military necessity • With rise of Athenian naval power, the military importance of rowers increased – Generally poor men who did hard physical labor for low pay under hazardous conditions – Generally were not citizens • Began to pressure government for political participation and rights • Their demands were ultimately granted and thereby paved the way for an expansion of democracy in Athens

CIMON vs PERICLES • Pericles’ most powerful rival was Cimon – Successful general and talented speaker – Advocated pro. Spartan foreign policy • Pericles advocated opposite policy – Advocated crippling Sparta before she would take inevitable revenge on Athens Pericles Cimon

PERICLES WINS • Cimon insulted by Spartans when he arrived to help them put down revolt by helots – Pericles used episode to work up public opinion against Cimon • Cimon ultimately ostracized • Pericles’ anti-Spartan orientation became official Athenian policy – Athens makes alliance with Spartan enemies, Argos and Thessaly

OUTBREAK OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR • Hostility between Athens and Sparta escalated until it culminated in war in 459 BC – Spartan army blocked from returning from Boeotia by Athenian army • Spartans retaliated by attacking Athens – Resulted in Battle of Tanagra – Spartans win but suffer such horrible losses that they return home

ATHENS GAINS THE UPPER HAND • Athenians regroup and attack Sparta’s allies between Attica and the Peloponnese – Especially Megora – Blocked future invasion by Sparta – By 457, Athens had Sparta bottled up and had firm control over rest of Greece • Athens and Sparta sign 5 year truce in 455

CHANGES IN THE DELIAN LEAGUE • Athens began to act unilaterally – Did not consult “allies” in Delian League • Did not even hold meetings anymore • Naxos and Thasos tried to drop out of the League but Athens forced them to stay • League funds began to be used exclusively for Athenian purposes • By 446, Athens had clearly transformed the League into its personal empire

TROUBLE FOR ATHENS • Argos left Delian League in 451 and made alliance with Sparta – Boeotia did same in 446 – Megara broke free in 446 • Exposed Athens to land assault by Sparta • Athens signs 30 -year truce with Sparta – Prompted by these reversals

SECOND PELOPONNESIAN WAR • Truce remained in force for 15 years – Sparta was afraid that Athenian power and imperialistic designs would inevitably lead to attack on her allies and Sparta itself • Sparta went to war against Athens in 446 – Because of Athenian attempts to take over Corinth and Megara • Athens lost everything – Because its allies used war to assert independence – Because it wasted resources on useless attack on Sicily – Because of internal turmoil after death of Pericles – Because Sparta was aided by Persia

SPARTAN PROBLEMS • Sparta won but did not emerged unscathed – Population decimated • Still tried to establish empire in Greece – Broke down isolation which had long preserved Spartan society – Left it open to corrupting influences from rest of Greece – Fundamental egalitarianism of city-state broke down • Power struggles erupted between different factions

MORE SPARTAN PROBLEMS • Sparta experienced chronic manpower shortage in its army – Increasingly forced to rely on mercenaries • No longer had a citizen army • Drained Sparta of economic resources • Committed fundamental foreign policy errors – Attack on Persians in Ionia allowed creation of anti. Spartan alliance in Greece – Spartan forces defeated several times by members of alliance • Slipped into the ranks of just another poor Greek city-state

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