The Persian Empire Read p 132 135 of

The Persian Empire

• Read p. 132 - 135 of Journey Across Time. • Fill out Guided Notes for those pages.

Persia • The people of __________ lived in what is today southwestern Iran. • _________ the ______ ruled from 559 to 530 B. C. and united the Persians into a powerful kingdom. Under his rule, they built an empire larger than any yet seen in the world. • In 539 B. C. Cyrus’s armies captured __________. • Cyrus’s merciful rule helped hold his growing empire together.

Persian Government • _________ reorganized the government of the Persian Empire when he took over the throne in 521 B. C. • __________ were the 20 provinces (states) into which the Persian Empire was divided. • Each province was ruled by a _________, or “protector of the kingdom” who acted as a tax collector, judge, chief of police, and head recruiter of the Persian army. • In Persia, the government paid people to be fulltime soldiers.

Persian Religion • The Persian religion was called ____________. • Its founder, __________, was born in 660 B. C. and began preaching after seeing visions as a young man. • He believed in one god and also recognized evil in the world, too. • Believed humans had the freedom to choose between right and wrong.

The Persian Wars • The Persians often clashed with the _______. • By the mid-500 s B. C. , Persia controlled the Greek cities in Asia Minor. • King ________ decided the mainland Greeks had to be stopped from interfering in the ________ Empire. • Beginning around 490 B. C. the Persians and the Greek city-states battled over control of Greece. • Sparta and Athens worked together to defeat the Persians

The Battle of _________ • In 490 B. C. a Persian fleet landed 20, 000 soldiers on the plain of __________. • The Athenians were outnumbered, so they held back in the hills overlooking the plain. • As the Persian troops boarded their ships, the Greeks charged down from the hills and easily defeated the Persians. • According to legend, __________ ran 26 miles from Marathon to ______ to tell the news of the victory.

• Read p. 136 -137 of Journey Across Time. • Fill in Guided Notes for those pages.

Thermopylae • During this famous battle, about 7, 000 Greek soldiers held off the _______ for two days to stall their army before reaching Athens. • A traitor directed the Persians to a mountain path that led them around the Greeks. • The Spartans were especially brave here. King _______ several hundred men stayed behind and fought to the death. • The _________ lost the battle at Thermopylae.

Fall of the Persian Empire • Greeks eventually defeated the Persian army • Persian rulers raised taxes to gain wealth, which caused rebellions • Persian royal family fought over who would be king • Murder of many rulers • Persia vulnerable to attack • Emergence of __________ the Great

View “Decisive Battles: Thermopylae” https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Phg. Mn 9 rvn_Y