Persian Wars Powerpoint Templates Page 1 Persian Wars

Persian Wars Powerpoint Templates Page 1

Persian Wars – 490 B. C. -479 B. C. • • Persians Darius I Aegean Sea to Marathon Persians > Athenians – Rain of arrows • Hand-to-hand combat • Persians retreated • Themistocles – Athenian leader – urged Athenians to build warships Powerpoint Templates Page 2

Persian Wars • Darius died – Xerxes, his son, sent in much larger force • Athens persuaded Sparta to join fighting • Thermopylae – small force of 300, led by Leonidas, held off Persian forces, but all died • Persians then marched south and burned Athens • Relied on fleet of ships Themistocles urged them to build • Athenians lured Persians into Salamis, driving into the boats with underwater battering rams Powerpoint Templates Page 3

Persian War • Greeks defeated Persians on land • Felt that the gods protected their superior form of gov’t – city-state – against invaders • Athens now = most powerful city-state in Greece • Formed Delian League – alliance with other Greek city-states Powerpoint Templates Page 4

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Peloponnesian War • Many Greeks resented Athenian power • To combat the Delian League, Sparta and other enemies of Athens formed Peloponnesian League • DL = democracy • PL = oligarchy • P. War went on for 27 years Powerpoint Templates Page 6

Peloponnesian War • Athens – geographic disadvantage • Pericles – allowed people to move inside the city walls • Overcrowded, plague broke out, killed 1/3 of population • Sparta even sided with the Persians, and with the help of their navy, Sparta captured Athens, but did not destroy it out of respect Powerpoint Templates Page 7

Aftermath • Athens’ economy revived and still was cultural center of Greece, even though fighting occurred in most of Greece Powerpoint Templates Page 8

Now create a Headline for the Peloponnesian War! Powerpoint Templates Page 9

• Now create a Persian poem/picture and a Peloponnesian poem/picture Powerpoint Templates Page 10