Persian Wars

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Persian Wars
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Persian Wars
SETTING Persians were creating a huge empire
that stretched from Asia Minor to India Athens
had emerged as the wealthiest Greek
city-state Greek city-states in Ionia, located
in Asia Minor, had been conquered by the
Persians In 499 BCE, Ionians rebelled against
the Persians Athens sent ships to help them
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Persian Wars
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BATTLE OF MARATHON 490 BC (Greek
Victory) Darius assembled in Cilicia a big army
and a fleet of 600 galleys. Persians crossed to
Attica, landing at the plain of Marathon The
Athenians, upon learning the news of the fall of
Eretria, sent Phidippides to Sparta, to ask for
assistance. Phidippides, a postman by
profession, made the journey of 150 miles on
foot, in only 48 hours.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF MARATHON 490 BC (Greek
Victory) The Spartans promised to send a
force, but asked for time, because it was
not full moon yet The Athenian army was
numbered 10,000 heavy armed soldiers (hoplites)
They had no significant light armed men, nor
had any cavalry or archers.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF MARATHON 490 BC (Greek Victory) The
Persian army was numbered at more than 120,000
men and had encamped at the plain, about one mile
from the sea. It had been decided, that if the
Persians would move towards Athens or started
embarking on the ships, they would attack them
immediately. After waiting for eight days, the
Persians started to embark men in the ships to
sail at the defenseless city of Athens.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF MARATHON 490 BC (Greek Victory) The
Athenians rushed toward the enemy, in order to
avoid long exposure to their arrows. With their
war cry, fell upon the Persians, who were unused
for hand to hand fighting. After a long and hard
battle, the Athenian attack had such a
devastating effect that in a short time the
Persians retreated to their ships, with great
loses, abandoning their camp.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF MARATHON 490 BC (Greek Victory) At
the sea shore,
a vicious and

long battle took
place, in which
the
Greeks tried
to prevent the
Persians

escaping to their
ships. The Persians, who took
refuge in the swamps, were all slaughtered.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF MARATHON 490 BC (Greek
Victory) Immediately after the battle, an
Athenian hoplite, said to be PHIDIPPIDES, in full
arms, ran to Athens (the distance of 21 miles),
to give the good news. Raising his shield, he
cried "We have won" and then he collapsed and
died. The Modern Olympics honor this run with
the running event called the MARATHON.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF MARATHON 490 BC (Greek Victory) The
Persians lost 6,400 men and 7 of their ships were
captured, and Athenians had only 192 men killed.
The 2nd day after the battle, 2,000 Spartans
came to Athens, marching 150 miles in just 3
days. Finding the battle over, they visited
Marathon and after inspecting the field of the
battle, where thousands of enemy bodies were
lying, they returned to Sparta, having only
praise for the bravery of the Athenians.
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Persian Wars
490 - 480 BC The disastrous expedition by the
Persians in Greece made Darius even more eager to
conquer Greece. After the battle of Marathon,
Darius was preparing a vast army, but a revolt
that broke out in Egypt that postponed an early
expedition and in 485 BCE, he died. His son,
Xerxes, succeeded him to the throne. After
crushing the rebellion in Egypt, Xerxes started
preparations against Greece, on a massive scale.
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Persian Wars
490 - 480 BCE For four years, provisions of all
kinds and army were assembled at the plains of
Kapadokia, as well as food dumps along his route
to the coast of Thrace.
Ship Canal
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Persian Wars
490 - 480 BCE He had a ship canal built in
Chalkidiki, north of mount Athos, large enough
for two triremes, in order to avoid the dangerous
cape, which had destroyed his fleet in 492 BCE.
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Persian Wars
490 - 480 BC Xerxes had Egyptian and Phoenician
engineers construct a bridge over the Hellespont,
near Abydos, where the breadth of the sea is only
seven stadia (about one mile). The bridge was
constructed by old ships and held by enormous
ropes. It was later destroyed by a storm and
Xerxes ordered the heads, of those responsible
for the construction, to be cut and three hundred
lashes to be given to the unruly Hellespont.
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Persian Wars
490 - 480 BC Two new bridges were constructed by
Greek engineers using 674 ships, next to each
other, one for the army and the other for animals
and baggage. The bridges were resting upon a row
of anchored ships and fastened by ropes.
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Persian Wars
490 - 480 BC In Greece, Themistocles persuaded
the Athenians to build a fleet from fear of
another Persian invasion. In a period of two
years, Athens had a fleet of more than two
hundred triremes. The strategic plan of the
Greeks was to defeat
the Persian fleet
in a naval
battle, with the hope,
that their land army
would withdraw,
without naval
support.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK
LOSS) After the spring rains, the vast Persian
army marched towards Hellespont. For seven days
and nights the army was crossing over to Europe.
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BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK LOSS) The
Persian force, 5,000,000 men and the Persian
fleet numbered to 1207 ships. The vast army was
consisted of 1,700,000 foot soldiers 80,000
cavalry 20,000 Lybians and Arabians, with
chariots and camels Conquered Greek cities
contributed more than 300,000 men
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK LOSS) A
small force sent by the Greek cities under the
king of Sparta, Leonidas, encamped at
Thermopylae. To the Spartans the oracle
of Delphi gave a
dreadful
omen, telling them that
"either their city or a
Spartan king would perish".
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Old Road Old Shoreline
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BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK
LOSS) Xerxes found that the place was defended
by a body of 300 Spartans and about 7,000
hoplites commanded by the Spartan King
Leonidas. Xerxes delayed his attack for four
days, thinking that the Greeks would disperse as
soon as they realized his forces were greater.
He sent heralds asking the Spartans to deliver
up their arms. The answer from Leonidas was "come
and take them "
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK LOSS) A
Spartan, who was told about the great number of
Persian soldiers, who with their arrows would
conceal the sun, he answered "so much the better,
we will fight in the shade " At the fifth day
Xerxes attacked but without any results and with
heavy losses, though the Medes fought bravely.
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BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK
LOSS) Xerxes then ordered his personal guard
the "Immortals" under Hydarnes, a body of 10,000
consisting of the best Persian soldiers, to
advance. They also failed and Xerxes was
observed to jump from his throne three times in
anger and agony. The following day they
attacked, but again made no progress.
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BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK
LOSS) Xerxes was told about a secret path across
the mountain by a Greek who sought a reward. A
strong Persian force was sent guided by the
traitor. Many of the Greeks thought that they
should find a better defensible place, but
Leonidas refused. 300 Spartans and 700
Thespians made the decision to stay and fight.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK
LOSS) Leonidas did not wait for the Persian
attack, advancing in the path, he fell upon the
Persians. Thousands of Persians were slain, the
rest were driven into the sea, but when the
Spartan spears broke, they started having losses
and one of the first that fell was King Leonidas.
Around his body one of the fiercest battles
took place. Four times the Persians attacked to
obtain it and four times they were repulsed.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE 480 BCE (GREEK LOSS) At
the end, the Spartans exhausted and wounded,
carrying the body of Leonidas, retired behind the
wall, but they were surrounded by the enemy, who
killed them with arrows.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) The
enormous Persian fleet totaled 1207 ships and
supported by about 3000 smaller vessels. The
fighting men on the triremes were about 36,000
and with 240,000 rowers. The Greeks along the
coast of Thrace and islands contributed 120 ships
to the Persians. Storms destroyed most of the
small ships and about 200 triremes.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) When
the news came that Thermopylae had fallen to the
Persians, the Greek ships sailed to Salamis.
The gulf of Salamis, where the Greek fleet
sailed, was a well chosen place to fight the
enemy, because in the narrow straits of the sea,
the advantage that the Persians had in ships was
diminished.
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BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BCE (GREEK
VICTORY) Xerxes had reached Athens and
surrounded Acropolis. All the temples and
buildings of the Acropolis were plundered and
burned. From the ships and the island of
Salamis, Athenians and the rest of Greeks were
looking the city of Athens in fire.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) The
Greek fleet was consisted of 366 ships. The
Persian fleet now was less than 1000 ships. A
throne was prepared on shore for Xerxes to watch
the naval battle.
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BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) There
were small waves in the straits at that moment
and the Greek seamen, who knew the currents and
had heavier ships, and were equally as fast as
the Persians, had a clear advantage. At the
narrow straits of Salamis, the Greek ships had
greater maneuverability and were faster to
attack.
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BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) The
Greeks were fighting with order, without any
confusion, while the Persians, though they were
fighting bravely, had no tactical plan. After a
hard battle, the Persian ships panicked and
turned back, falling upon their own, ramming them
with their bronze beaks. The whole strait of
Salamis was full from the wrecks.
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GREEKS
PERSIANS
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BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) At
sunset the battle was over with the Persian fleet
partly destroyed or out of action. The Greeks
lost 40 triremes and the Persians 200 and about
50,000 men.
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BATTLE OF PLATAEA 479 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) The
number in the Greek army was now 38,000 hoplites,
who with light armed troops and the Helots
reached 110,000 men. There was no
cavalry and

the bow men
were very few.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF PLATAEA 479 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) After
the Battle of Salamis, the Persians retreated
from Attica and encamped near the town of
Plataea. The Persian army numbered 300,000
men. For eight days the attack was delayed from
both sides by unfavorable sacrifices.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF PLATAEA 479 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) The
Persians attacked when they learned that the
Greeks were retreating. Greeks engaged when
they received a good omen from the sacrifices.
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BATTLE OF PLATAEA 479 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) The
Persian general, at the head of his 1,000
bodyguards, was in the front line fighting
bravely, until he was struck down by the
Spartans. When the general fell, the Persian
army fled to their fortified camp. But this did
not save them when the Greeks managed to enter
and a great massacre took place.
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Persian Wars
BATTLE OF PLATAEA 479 BCE (GREEK VICTORY) Only
3,000 Persians escaped out the 300,000. The
Greeks lost only 1,300 men. This was the final
battle in Greece of the Persian Wars.
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Persian Wars
RESULTS Increased the Greeks sense of their own
superiority Their gods had protected their
superior form of government the
city-state Athens emerged as the most powerful
city-state in Greece