Persia Attacks the Greeks Get Ready to Read

Persia Attacks the Greeks Get Ready to Read Section Overview This section traces the rise of the Persian Empire and how the Greeks prevented the Persians from conquering them.

Persia Attacks the Greeks Get Ready to Read (cont. ) Focusing on the Main Ideas • The Persian Empire united a wide area under a single government. • Both Sparta and Athens played roles in defeating the Persians.

Persia Attacks the Greeks Get Ready to Read (cont. ) Locating Places • Persia (PUHR·zhuh) • Marathon (MAR·uh·THAHN) • Thermopylae (thuhr·MAH·puh·lee) • Salamis (SA·luh·muhs) • Plataea (pluh·TEE·uh)

Persia Attacks the Greeks Get Ready to Read (cont. ) Meeting People • Cyrus the Great (SY·ruhs) • Darius (duh·RY·uhs) • Xerxes (ZUHRK·SEEZ) • Themistocles (thuh·MIHS·tuh·KLEEZ)

Persia Attacks the Greeks Get Ready to Read (cont. ) Building Your Vocabulary • Satrapies (SAY·truh·pees) • Satrap (SAY·TRAP) • Zoroastrianism (ZOHR·uh·WAS·tree·uh·NIH·zuhm) Reading Strategy Organizing Information Create a Chart like the on page 131 of your textbook. List the accomplishments of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes.

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Empire • Persians were warriors and nomads who lived in Persia, the southwestern area of what is today Iran. • Cyrus the Great united the Persians. • The Persians built a large empire, conquering Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and Phoenician cities. (pages 132– 133)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Empire (cont. ) • Darius came to power in 521 B. C. and reorganized the government. • The empire under Darius was divided into satrapies, each with a ruler known as a satrap. • The satraps answered to the king. (pages 132– 133)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Empire (cont. ) • The military of Persia consisted of fulltime, paid soldiers known as Immortals. • Zoroastrianism, the religion of Persia, was founded by Zoroaster, who believed in one god, the freedom of humans, and the triumph of good. (pages 132– 133)

Persia Attacks the Greeks Cyrus’s compassion for his people helped the Persian Empire grow. A. True B. False

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars • After a failed rebellion by the Greeks, King Darius decided to stop the Greeks from interfering in his empire. • The Battle of Marathon occurred in 490 B. C. on the plain of Marathon, a short distance from Athens. • The Persians waited there for the Athenians. (pages 134– 137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont. ) • When they did not come, the Persian commander ordered the troops back on the boat. • When the horsemen were on the boat, the Greeks charged the Persian foot soldiers and defeated them. • After Darius’s death, his son Xerxes became king. • He vowed a new invasion of Greece. (pages 134– 137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont. ) • Athens and Sparta joined forces to defend against Xerxes’s attack. • The Greeks fought the Persians at Thermopylae for two days. • The Greeks lost the battle, but 200 ships were assembled in Athens. (pages 134– 137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont. ) • At the Battle of Salamis, the Greeks used their faster, smaller ships to defeat the Persian fleet. (pages 134– 137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont. ) • The Persians entered Athens and burned the city. • The Greek army won at Plataea. • This was the turning point of the wars with Persia. • The Persian Empire fell for several reasons. (pages 134– 137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont. ) • The Persians were weakened by war, and their rulers taxed the people and spent the money lavishly. • The sons of kings had little power, so they killed rulers to get power. (pages 134– 137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks Marathon races got their name from a Greek story told over centuries. A. True B. False

Persia Attacks the Greeks Why was Cyrus considered a fair ruler? A. He treated new subjects well. B. He screamed “Off with their heads!” when someone made him angry.

Persia Attacks the Greeks What was the Royal Road? A. The Royal Road was a vast road that connected Persian cities. B. The Royal Road was the last track on Mario Kart.

Persia Attacks the Greeks Persuasive Writing Imagine you are an adviser to Xerxes and are alarmed about his plan for revenge on Greece. Compose a letter to him outlining reasons why he should cancel his invasion of Greece. Answers will vary.

Persia Attacks the Greeks Why do historians consider the Greek defeat of the Persians a turning point in history? It led to the rise of Athenian power and to a period of great philosophy.