The Persian Wars

1. The Persian Wars Greece’s Finest Hours

2. Background to the Conflict • Main source for Greco-Persian Wars is Herodotus. Thucydides built on this. Plutarch claimed Herodotus was "Philobarbaros“. No Persian records. • After collapse of Mycenaean civ, many Greeks fled to Ionia. These Greek “colonies” were more or less united under Lydian rule. • On the eve of the Greco-Persian wars, Ionian population had become discontented and rebellious …Meanwhile in Athens, Cleisthenic democracy insecure. Fear of treason, tyranny, Spartans, and neighbors. So Cleisthenes asks for alliance with Persia. Persians ask for “earth and water”in return.

3. Ionian Revolt, 499-493 • Cyrus sent messages to the Ionians demanding revolt against Lydian rule. Ionians refused. Cyrus invades—Phocea 1st. • Ionian Greeks hard to rule. So Persia est. a tyrant in each Ionian city. But tyranny declining in Greece. • Darius the Great more invasive than Cyrus. • Ionians captured, and burnt Sardis. On their return home, they were followed by Persian troops, and crushed at the Battle of Ephesus

4. Ionian Revolt, 499-493 • Miletus rebels. Athens supports them w/ 20 ships. Persians defeat them at Battle of Lade (494) Besieged, captured, and enslaved Miletians. Why does Athens get involved? • They are Ionians • Persia has been unfriendly • Athens dependent on trade (esp. grain trade) • Glory… • Asia Minor returned to Persian control. But Darius vowed to punish Athens for supporting revolts • In 492, Darius sent ambassadors to major Greek cities, demanding their submission. Does not go to Athens or Sparta.

5. First Invasion of Greece: Motivations • Punish the rebels • Restore Hippeas (he would be a Persian satrap) • Conquer and tax Greece • Control Athenian trade • Glory

6. Persians VS Greeks

7. The Persian Wars 500 B.C. – 479 B.C.

9. Where is Persia?

10. The Beginning • Darius, king of the Persians, came to power and continued to extend the Persian Empire across Asia Minor. • The Persians had already taken control of most Greek colonies, and Darius would conquer Ionia (ī-ō'nē-ə), a Greek sister state.

11. Feeling threatened, the two strongest Greek city states, Sparta and Athens, encouraged the Ionians to revolt. Darius would eventually crush the Ionian revolt in 495 B.C. He would then turn his attention to the Greek mainland to seek revenge on Athens and Sparta.

12. Why Fight? • Greeks had been settling on the west coast of Asia Minor (Persia) • Persia conquered these colonies • In 499 B.C. Greeks in these colonies revolted against Persian rule (they were used to ruling themselves—democracy) • Athens sent troops to support the revolt

13. Crushing the Revolt • Emperor Darius of Persia crushed the revolt rather quickly • He decided to punish Athens for helping the colonies • After training for a few years Darius sent troops to invade Greece • Sailed on to the Bay of Marathon

14. The Battle of Marathon • Athens asked Sparta to help, but Spartan troops would not arrive for 9 days (they were in the middle of religious festivals) • Other jealous city-states decided not to help Athens against the Persian Empire • So Athens took on the mighty Persian Empire by themselves

16. The Battle of Marathon • Darius sent a great army, with an estimated size of 100,000 soldiers, over the sea to the Bay of Marathon, intending to land there, march to Athens and then on to Sparta. • Miltiades (mil-tahy-uh-deez), the Athenian general, marched an army of 10,000 men out of Athens, hoping to delay the Persians until reinforcements were sent from Sparta.

17. A Serious Mismatch • Persian troops—100,000 • Athenian troops—20,000 • Did Athens really have any hope against these odds?

18. Victory • The Athenian army was well-trained and did not break formation as they charged the Persian lines • The organized charge surprised the large but scattered (and poorly organized) Persian army • The Persian soldiers turned and ran from the oncoming Athenians

20. Phalanx Formation

22. The strategy: The Persians put their best troops in the centre, the Athenians put their best troops on the side. • The battle: The Persians broke through the weak Athenian centre but were pushed back on the wings by the superior Athenian troops. The Persians were surrounded and defeated.

23. The remaining Persians returned to their ships and attempted to reach Athens. Miltiades (mil-tahy-uh-deez), however, marched his army overland to meet them and the Persians dared not come ashore. The Persian invasion thus failed.

24. A Slaughter • The Athenian army almost drove the Persians back to the sea • Final tally • Persians—6, 400 dead • Athens—192 dead • Darius returned to Persia never to return

25. Professional runner, Pheidippides (fahy-dip-i-deez), ran 250 km in two days to Sparta and back to ask the Spartans for their support against the Persians. • The Spartans said they could not help until after the next full moon for religious reasons • Greatly outnumbered, the Athenians took advantage of the Persians’ overconfidence and their knowledge of the terrain.

26. Legend has it that Pheidippides (fahy-dip-i-deez) ran the 42 km back to Athens to announce their great victory and died on the spot. Today’s marathon is based on this last run by Pheidippides.

27. Connection to the Past • The modern marathon has its roots in the Battle of Marathon • A Greek soldier, Phidippides, ran from Marathon to Athens (26 miles) to tell the Athenians of the Greek victory and to warn them that the Persians may try to attack • Phidippides died from exhaustion after delivering his message • Today’s 26 mile marathon races remember his heroic act of martyrdom

28. First Invasion of Greece: Battle of Marathon • Persian fleet headed down coast of Attica, landing at bay of Marathon, 26 miles from Athens (Phydippedes runs to Athens to ask for help…3hrs. Then died.) • Sparta amidst a religious ceremony. Promised help later… • Herodotus records that 6,400 Persian bodies were counted on the battlefield; Athenians lost only 192 men. Spartans show up the next day! • Significance • Persians CAN be beaten • Victory for democracy and freedom • Pride and glory • No victory at Marathon, no Socrates, Sophocles, Eurpides… • The Marathonomachai saved Western Civ (?) • War accomplishes great things (?)

29. Rise of Themistocles • General (strategos) of his tribe in 490 BCE; commanded center of Athenian army at Marathon • Elected archon in 493/92 BCE • Rival politicians ostracized: Miltiades, Hipparchus, Megacles the Alcmaeonid, Xanthippus (father of Pericles), Aristides

30. Rise of Themistocles: Athenian Navy Debate • Debate in Athenian Assembly • New wealth from Larium mines… • Aristides: strengthen hoplite army (zeugitai) • Themistocles: strengthen navy (thetes) • Build port of Piraeus • Overture to Thetes • Aristides ostracized in 482 BCE • New political importance of thetes as rowers…

31. Themistocles and Athenian Naval Power Before this, Themistocles’ judgment had proved the best at an important moment; it was when the commonality of Athens had received great sums that came to them from the mines at Laurium, and they were disposed to share them out, with each citizen getting ten drachmas apiece. It was then that Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to abandon this distribution and make instead, with this money, two hundred ships “for the war,” he said, naming the war against the Aeginetans. It was indeed their engagement in this war, just then, that saved Greece, for it compelled the Athenians to become men of the sea. These ships were not used for the purpose for which they were built, but they were there for Greece at the moment of need. -Herodotus, 7.144

32. Back for Revenge • The Persian Emperor Darius never returned, but his son Emperor Xerxes did • In 480 B.C. the Persians returned to Greece • They brought even more men this time around

33. The Battle of Thermopylae(ther-mop-uh-lee) • There was fear the Persians might return. Under Themistocles (thuh-mis-tuh-kleez), the Athenians developed a strong navy of 200 triremes (boats). • In 485 B.C., Xerxes (zurk-seez) succeeded his father, Darius, as king of the Persians. He vowed revenge on the Greeks.

34. Athenian Trireme • 120 ft. x 15 ft. • 170 rowers • Fast and agile • Ramming tactics

35. Rise of Themistocles: Foresight Now the rest of his countrymen thought that the defeat of the barbarians at Marathon was the end of the war; but Themistocles thought it to be only the beginning of greater contests, and for these he anointed himself, as it were, to be the champion of all Greece, and put his polis into training, because, while it was yet far off, he expected the evil that was to come. - Plutarch, Life of Themistocles, 3.4

36. Second Persian Invasion (480-479 BCE) • Darius dies in 486 • Xerxes constructs an armada– a “boat-bridge” spanning Hellespont • 481, Greek League (Hellenic League) • Defensive Alliance • 31 Greek states • Led by Sparta and Athens

37. Battle of Thermopylae, 480 • Xerxes's arrived during Olympic Games. For Spartans, warfare during Olympics was sacrilegious. But Spartans considered the threat so grave that they dispatched King Leonidas I with his personal bodyguards (The Hippeis) of 300 men + Allied forces. • Persian contingents forced to attack Greek phalanx head on • Pass at Thermopylae was opened to the Persian army according to Herodotus, at the cost to the Persians of up to 20,000 fatalities • Xerxes beheads and impales corpse of Leonidas!

39. The Battle of Thermopylae • Persians met a force of Greeks at Thermopylae • This was a small mountain pass that controlled access to all of Greece • For two days 7,000 Greeks held the Persians back, but…

42. Xerxes (zurk-seez) sent a huge army and navy to attack the Greek mainland once again (180,000 troops). • Xerxes’ army advanced along the Greek coast until coming to Themopylae, a fifty foot wide mountain pass. • The strategy: The Spartan king, Leonidas (lee-on-i-duhs), and 7000 men wanted to hold the Persians at the pass.

43. The battle: The Persians attacks were repulsed until a traitor showed the Persians a secret path. 300 Spartan elders and 1,000 men stayed behind to allow the other Greeks time to fall back and mount defenses. All died, but 20,000 Persians were also killed.

44. The Downfall • A Greek traitor showed the Persians a secret passageway • This allowed the Persians to sneak up from behind and attack the Greeks • Most of the Greek defenders ran away

45. A Heroic Act • About 300 Spartans stayed behind and fought to their deaths • This allowed the other Greeks to escape capture or certain death

46. Battle of Thermopylae, 480 • Following Thermopylae, the Persian army burned and sacked the Boeotian cities which had not submitted to the Persians • Arguably most famous battle in European ancient history. Greeks lauded for their performance in battle. Thermopylae as inspiration for the ages. • Military defeat; moral victory • Thermopylae was a Pyrrhic victory for Persians

47. Xerxes’ Route

50. Here come the Persians • The Persians poured into Greece • They got their revenge by wreaking havoc • They even burned Athens to the ground • What were the Greeks to do?