Greek Wars

Persian Wars

Greece vs. Persia

• Persia conquered large area including Ionia (A Greek city)

• Ionia Rebels.

• Persians crushed Ionia, mad about how Athens had an uprising.

• Darius 1 sent ships to punish them.

• Xerxes is Darius’s son.

Battle at Marathon - Plain north of Athens

• Athens asks for help, gets little.

• Persia outnumbers Athens, but Greeks push back.

• Persia retreats.

• P: 100,000 A:20,000

Greek Victory

• Athenian army was well trained.

• Despite being outnumbered, they scattered the poorly put together Persian army.

• Dead → P: 6,400 A:142

Effects of Persian Wars

• Athens became the most powerful.

• Delian League (A conglomerate of all the Greek city-states.)

• Greeks conceived of own uniqueness.

Athens

Direct democracy - Pericles led

• Could serve a jury

• Could vote to ostracize people

• Culture center of Greece.

Peloponnesian War

Athens vs. Sparta

• 431 BC

• 27 years

• Sparta won

• Main result - Ends Athens dominance.

Causes

• Many Greek cities resented Athens dominance of the Delian League.

• Sparta and Athens were rivals.

• Sparta led the peloponnesian League to oppose the Delian League.

Greece became fragmented.

They needed the trade of other city-states

Greece underestimated Macedonia

• Phillip II is strong

• Greece knows there going to attack, but can’t rally troops.

• Phillip studies the Greeks and steals the formation.

• Conquered Greece

• Wanted to take over Persia, but was killed at his daughters wedding,

Alexander the Great

• Alexander the Great is Phillips.

• Took over at 20.

• He wanted better for everything.

• Conquered Persia

• He wanted the people he conquered to be happier

• Wanted Macedonia to be like Greece.

• Alexander is taught by Aristotle.

• Extended his empire as far as India

• Died at 32

  Hellenistic Era

• Spread Greek culture.

• Women are no longer restricted from learning

• Conquered Persian Empire

• Sun centered solar system.

• Pythagoras.

• Improved medicine (Hippocrates)