wars in ancient greece

7/29/2019 Wars in Ancient Greece

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The Trojan War

Paris, a Trojan, takes Helen, the wife of theSpartan King, back to Troy (in present dayTurkey).

The Greeks are outraged and launch a naval andarmy fleet to attack Troy.

The Greeks lay siege to Troy and fight outside its

walls for several years. They then pretend to depart on their ships leaving

behind a gift, a large wooden horse.


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The Trojans take the gift inside their city wallsand celebrate their victory.

Greek soldiers hidden in the horse slip out, openthe gates of Troy, and let in the Greek army thathad returned.

Troy was destroyed.

Both fact and fiction were mixed together inHomers epic, The Illiad.


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Event A: The Expansion ofthe Persian Empire

At the beginning of the fifth century B.C.E., thePersian Empire was the largest in the world,stretching from Asia Minor to India and from theCaspian Sea to Egypt and Arabia. The Persiansoverwhelmed their opponents with their large,highly trained army, and expanded their empire byconquering new peoples. Persian warriors became

know as the Ten Thousand Immortals, because ifone of them died in combat, he was immediatelyreplaced by another. Their might cavalry wascomposed of nobles who were trained from

boyhood to ride horses and shoot arrows.


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Despite their powerful army, Persian kings avoidedruling their subjects by force and through fear.One of the greatest Persian kings was Darius

(pronounced DAHR-ee-yuss) the Great, who ruledfrom 522 to 486 B.C.E., Darius was a brilliantpolitician and administrator and a capable militaryman. In order to rule his diverse empire more

efficiently, he divided it into 20 large provinces orsatrapies (pronounced SAH-treh-peez), each runby an appointed official. Persian kings believedthey could more easily win the loyalty of their

subjects if they ruled fairly rather then throughforce. Sp, while the people had to pay taxes, theywere also allowed to keep their own language,religions and laws.


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Darius decided to build a new capital at Persepolic(pronounced pur-SEP-oh-liss) with the incredibleamount of wealth produced by the Persian Empire.

This city became know for its beauty and splendorthroughout the ancient world. According tolegend, it would take 10,000 horses and 5,000camels to carry the royal treasures that were kept

in the city. Dariuss desire to acquire more land,economic power drove him to conquer nearbylands throughout his reign. In 513 B.C.E. helaunched the first Asian invasion of Greek city-

states in Asia Minor. He knew that conqueringthese city-states would give him control of manyGreek trade routes, allowing him to obtain moreresources to run his enormous empire.


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Greece presented a dramatic contrast to thepowerful and orderly Persian Empire during theearly sixth century B.C.E., Greece was divided into

hundreds of tiny, independent political units,known as city-states. Because of Greecesgeography, the people developed their cultures inisolated regions and had very little contact with

one another. The ancient Greeks based theiridentities on their ethnicity, and the region of theirorigin, referring to themselves as Athenians,Spartans, or Ionians, rather than as Greeks.

Unlike the orderly Persian Empire, life in the Greekcity-states was characterized by frequentoutbreaks of warfare over land disputes.Furthermore, city-states had limited resources and

some were relatively poor.


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The large Persian Empire had a very strong

military

They were fair rulers, allowing people to

follow their own religion

They conquered the Ionian Greeks to get

control of the trade routes


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Why is the score 00 to 00?


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Event B: The Ionian Revolt


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Event B: The Ionian Revolt

In 546 B.C.E., the Persians conquered Ionia, aprosperous Greek settlement in Asia Minor.

The Persians were not the first to invade thisarea, In 1000 B.C.E.; the Ionians themselveshad displaced non-Greeks living in the region.Like the Ionian-Greeks, the Persians realized

that the rich farmland and the accessibleharbors in the area could be used to create aprofitable trade network.


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After conquering Ionia, the Persians set up Greekpuppet rulers, or local leaders whose nationswere controlled by the Persians, to govern the

area. They also forced the Ionians to pay tributeand to serve in the Persian army during times ofneed. Many Ionians rebelled against Persian rule.The Ionians asked for help from Sparta, the

strongest Greek city-state. However, the Spartanking refused to help, because he realized histroops would have to march for three months justto reach the Persian Empire, Instead, two other

city-states from mainland Greece, Athens andEretria (pronounced eh-REH-tree-ah), agreed tooffice assistance to the Ionians. They sent shipsand troops to support the small Ionian army.


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When the Persian king, Darius learned about therevolt, he immediately ordered his troops to sail toGreece and attack the rebellious city-states. In

the face of the powerful Persian army, many ofthe Greeks lost their nerve. Many of their troopssurrendered or changed sides to join the Persians,in the hope of avoiding harsh punishment. The

Ionian and Athenian troops, however, fought adifficult ballet to resist Persian rule. After fiveyears, the Persian troops defeated the Ionians.They stormed into the Ionian city of Miletus

(pronounced mill-EE-tuss), burned one of its holysites and transported the people to Persia to sellthem as slaves.


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The Ionian Revolt, which ended in 493B.C.E, marked the beginning of the Persian

Wars. Even after the revolt was crushed,Darius was determined to make the Ionianspay for the losses his army had suffered.

However, he was more furious with theAthenians who had assisted the Ionians.According to legend, he ordered one of hisservants to repeat, Master, remember the

Athenians to him three times a day, toensure that he did not forget to punishthem for their part in the rebellion.


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When the Ionians rebelled, Athens and

Eretria helped out

h i h b h


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What score might best represent the

fact that the Persians crushed in the

Ionian revolt?


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Event C: The Battle of Marathon


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Event C: The Battle of

MarathonAfter the Ionian Revolt, Darius decided

to attack the city-states of mainland

Greece to prevent any further rebellionsand to take revenge on Athens. In 490B.C.E., Darius sent his forces ofapproximately 200 ships, and 20,000

troops south across the Aegean Sea toMarathon (pronounced MA-RA-thon), atown 26 miles north of Athens.


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The Athenians, who had a army of 9,000 soldiers,were heavily outnumbered They sent one of theirfamous runners, Pheidippides (pronounced fy-DIP-

ih-deez), to Sparta to ask for help-, However, theSpartans replied that they were in the middle of animportant religious festival and could not sendtroops for several days. Dismayed, the Athenians

tried to choose the best military strategy. Some ofthe Athenian general wanted to stay in Athens andprotect the citys walls. One leader, namedMiltiades (pronounced mill-TY-ah-eez) however,

argued that the Athenians only hope was to stopthe Persian advance before it reached Athens. Heled the Athenian army north to Marathon, wherethey met the Persian troops.


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For two days, nothing happened. TheAthenians were not willing to attack thePersian cavalry out in the open, where theywould be easily slaughtered. On the otherhand, the Persian did not want their weakerfoot solders or infantry to fight against the

heavily armed Greek solders. On the thirdday, the Persian commander decided to takea chance and sail to Athens to attack the cityby sea before the Spartan troops arrived. He

orders the cavalry, the Persians mostpowerful military resource onto the ships,which set off for Athens.


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When the Athenians learned that the Persiancavalry was gone, Miltiades immediately tookadvantage of the opportunity to attack theremained Persian infantry. Without their cavalry,the Persian troops were weakened, and thereforeunable to attack the enemy from an advantageous

point, As a result, the Persian army suffered severecausalities, losing 6,400 of their men while Athenslost only 192. According to legend, Phedippidesran from Marathon back to Athens to announce the

victory and died from exhausting upon arrival. Hebecame known as the first Marathon runner.


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The Greeks consider the battle at Marathonone of the most important events in their

history. Their ability to defeat such a largearmy with their small forces have themconfidence they could protect Greece from

all future Persian invasions. Despite thePersian defeat, however, Darius was stillconfident that with more military power, hecould successfully conquer Greece.


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The Persians attacked mainland Greece to

prevent further rebellions and get revenge

against Athens They first fought at Marathon were the

Greeks were able to defeat the large Persian

army of foot soldiers

Wh t ld b t fl t th


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What score would best reflect the

outcome of the battle of Marathon?


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Event D: The Battle of Thermopylae


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Event D: The Battle of

Thermopylae While Darius was preparing his forces for another

attack on Greece, he died. He was succeeded byhis son Xerxes (pronounced ZERK-seez). Scholarsoften disagree about Xerxes character andachievements. Some consider him a powerful andhonorable military man, while other portray himas overly proud and impatient. Despite his own

unwillingness to attack mainland Greece, Xerxeswas heavily influenced by a relative, who told himthat if he conquered Athens, his name would be

held in honor all over the world.


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Xerxes thus began to put together a huge army of250,000 soldiers and a navy of 600 ships to attack

mainland Greece. His army was made up ofPersians, as well as the subjects of the PersianEmpire, including Phoenicians, Egyptians, andIonian-Greeks. Xerxes also constructed two

bridges of boats roped together to span theHellespont (pronounced heh-LISS-pont), a 33-milelong sea channel that separates Europe from Asia.These bridges, which were an amazing feat of

engineering, allowed the Persian army to easilymarch over the water and onto the Greekpeninsula.


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In 480 B.C.E., Xerxes led his army across theHellespont and marched through northern Greeceto Macedonia and Thrace. The northern andcentral Greek city-states quickly surrendered to thePersian forces. Sparta and Athens decided to worktogether to stop the Persian from advancing intocentral and southern Greece. The Athenian navy

was given the responsibility of preventing thePersian navy from supplying reinforcement to itsland forces. The Spartans, under their kingLeonidas (pronouceded lee-oh-NY-DUSS), agreed

to set up defenses at Thermopylae (pronouncedthur-MOP-ih-lay), a narrow pass betweenmountains and sea about 100 miles northwest of

Athens.


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Although Xerxes saw the Spartan defenses,he ordered his troops to advance south and

push along the road and through thenarrow pass. Unable to use their superiornumbers in the narrow space, the Persian

soldiers fell back repeatedly and sufferedsevere losses. After two days of fighting, aGreek traitor showed the Persians a secretpath around the pass and through the

mountains that allows them to attack theSpartans from behind.


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When Leonidas discovered this, he askedfor reinforcement troops. However, Sparta

refused to send more soldiers because of areligious festival. Thus, Leonidas was left todefend Thermopylae against the Persianswith only a small force. Outnumbered and

surrounded, the Spartans neverthelessdefended Thermopylae until their last manwas dead. Supposedly, when Xerxes foundthe body of Loenidas after the bloody

battle, he ordered his officers to cut off hishead and fix it on a pole as revenge for theproblems the Spartans had caused him.


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A new Persian King sent a force across the

Hellespot to attack Greece from the north

City States quickly fell to the Persians Spartans and Athens unite against the Persians, but

they are defeated at Thermopylae (with the help of

a Greek Traitor)

The Persians then attacked and destroyed Athens



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severe losses the Persians suffered when

defeating the Greeks at Thermopylae?


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Event E: The Battle of Salamis


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Event E: The Battle of Salamis

When news of the defeat at Thermopylaereached Athens, most Athenians fled to theisland of Salamis (pronounced SAH-lam-iss)to avoid being captured. With noresistance, Xerxes and his troops marchedto Athens and completely destroyed thecity. Fearing the Persians advance, officials

of many other Greek city-states began tofortify their cities for battle.


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However, Thermistocles (pronounced them-ISS-tah-kleez), an Athenian general, asked them to

leave their cities and unite their forces nearSalamis, He convinced the leader of the Greek navythat the only way to defeat the large Persian armywould be to lure them into battle within narrow

channels, where it would be difficult for thePersians to maneuver their large, heavy ships.

Also, he feared that Greek forces might sail of todefend the Peooponnesus instead of mainland

Greece. Therefore, he wanted to keep the Greekfleet on the island, where they would have nochoice but to fight against the Persians.


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Xerxes, whose navy had experienced great lossesat Thermopylae, did want to attack the Greeks by

sea. When he consults his advisors, all but oneperson, Queen Artemisia (pronounced ahr-tem-EE-zhah) of Persia, wanted to fight the Greeks atSalamis. Artemisia advised the king to wait,

because she believed that the Greeks wouldeventually retreat due to disunity or lack ofsupplies. However, Xerxes rejected her adviceand stationed his warships at Salamis. Hoping

that Greek troops would come out to fight in openwaters, he waited for an opportunity to attack.


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However, instead of attacking the Persianforces, the Greeks decided to set a trap for

Xerxes. Themistocles sent him a falsemessage, saying that he had changed sidesand now wished for a Persian victory.Xerxes, who had become impatient and was

looking for any opportunity to attack,willingly believed the message. Assumingthat the Greeks were not unified and ready

to flee, he ordered his troops into thechannel between Bay of Eleusis and theSaronic Gulf.


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Once the Persian fleet had centered the channel,Greek warships surrounded them. The Greekfleet, which was lighter and easier to maneuver,

attacked the heavier Persian warships, breakingtheir oars and ramming their hulls. The Persianships were left entangles and unable to move.The Persians lost 200 ships, while the Greeks lost

only 40. Devastated, Xerexes and the rest of histroops withdrew from Salamis and retreated to theHellespont. For a few more months, a smallPersian army carried out the military campaigns

against Greece. Finally, in 479, B.C.E., the Greekarmy defeated the Persians at the Battle of Plateaand forced them to retreat completely from AsiaMinor.


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The Athenians made a final stand at Salamis

They tricked the Persian navy to move into

a narrow strait where they were bottled upand defeated

The Persians then retreated back across the

Hellespot

What score might best reflect the


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What score might best reflect the

outcome of the Battle of Salamis?


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The Peloponnesian War

With the Delian league, Athens was able to

get money and rebuild. It soon became very

strong and Sparta felt threatened.


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Sparta finally confronted Athens anddemanded they end the Delian League or

face war. War broke out and lasted 27 years.

During the second year of the war, a plaguehit the Athenians taking cover behind therewalls and decimated a quarter of thepopulation.


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Both sides fought hard and both had

victories.

Finally, the Persians helped Sparta build anaval force and overcome the Athenians.

The Spartans then ruled all of Greece. They

were replaced by the Thebians, who werethen conquered by the Macedonians.

wars in ancient greece

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