The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars

1. Delian League Peloponnesian League Pericles Golden Age Peloponnesian Wars Thebes The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars • Persian Empire • Darius I • Ionia • Marathon • Persian Wars • Xerxes • Battle of Thermoplyae • Themistocles • Strait of Salamis

2. Persian Empire • Persian Empire → Empire established by Cyrus The Great in the 6th Century that spanned from India to the Asia Minor • Controlled the Ionian city-states in the Asia Minor • Sought to extend their rule into the Greek city-states

3. Athenian Involvement • Greek city-state of Ionia (city-state located in the Asia Minor) was being subjugated by the Persians and requested assistance from the Greeks. • Athenians would assist Ionia but would ultimately be defeated and forced back to Attica

4. Battle of Marathon • Darius I → emperor of the Persian Empire during the first segment of the Persian Wars • Darius would seek revenge by sending a large force to invade Athens. • Greeks would meet the Persians at Marathon and defeat them with the help of the phalanx.

5. Results of Marathon • Athenian victory in Marathon was held in high regard by the Greeks. • Themistocles, an Athenian naval officer, warns the Greeks that the win will be short lived. • The Athenians would elect Themistocles over Aristides to take the reins for the coming incursions with the Persians. • Darius would plan another attack but would not live to see it through.

6. Xerxes and the Coming War • Xerxes → Persian ruler who planned a large scale invasion of the Greek city-states. • Xerxes would bring many of the city-states under his control before his invasion to speed the progress of the war

7. Xerxes' Strategy • Xerxes sought to invade the Greek city-states by land and sea. • He sought to cross the Hellespont which was near Byzantium by foot and send in ships to support the land troops after the war had begun.

8. Greek Strategy • The remaining city-states knew the troops of Persia were setting up for a large scale invasion and sought to block them in the northern portion of Greece. • The Spartans were to hold off the Persians while the other city-states would amass troops and prepare an evacuation of Athens. • Themistocles would be left in charge of using his navy to hold off the Persian support.

9. Battle of Thermoplyae • The Spartans would be tasked with slowing down the Persian advance into Greece. • Would select an area known as the “hot gates” near Thermoplyae. • A small force of Spartans was able to buy 2 days time for the Greeks to evacuate Athens and prepare for the rest of the war.

10. Salamis • After slowing the Persians down and weakening their land forces, the Persians would send their support ships. • Themistocles would lure them to a narrow strait and battering ram their ships against the rock walls leaving the Persian forces to be finished off by land.

11. Delian League • After the Greeks' unexpected victory against the Persians, the Athenians felt that the victory was due to the unity of the Greeks and the leadership of the Athenians. • The Athenians would have the other city-states join them in a union known as the Delian League.

12. The Periclean Age • Under the leadership of Pericles, Athens underwent a golden age. • Golden Age → period of massive cultural and intellectual achievement. • Athens became extremely powerful during this time period and would attempt to exert this dominance over the other city-states in the Delian League.

13. Golden Age Achievements • Direct Democracy is established. • Stipends are paid to citizens for participation in government activities. • Assembly is given more power and increased to 6000 members. • Trial by jury is created. • Ostracism is instituted for corrupt officials.

14. Peloponnesian League • Athens began to impose harsh punishments for going against their orders. • Sparta and other city-states resented this and returned to their own league which was known as the Peloponnesian League. • Athenian dominance or attempts at it would lead to a war between the city-states.

15. Peloponnesian War - The Athenian attempt to dominate over the city-states would lead to the Spartans leading opposing city-states against the Athenians. - Athenians would avoid fighting on land by crowding behind the large walls of Athens. - The Athenians would end up losing a quarter of their population to a plague which killed Pericles himself. - The war would last another 10 years and a peace treaty would be made to last another 50.

16. Re-ignition of War - The Athenians sought to colonize Syracuse, a territory in Sicily. - Sicily was considered an ally of Peloponnesus, hence the war would be re-ignited. - The Athenians would be defeated by land and sea and many would be taken into slavery. - The Athenians would barricade themselves in the city again,though they would lose many of their citizens to desertion. This stage would last 10 more years. - A famine would force the Athenians to end the war and they would pay a huge indemnity.

17. Spartan Dominance - The Spartans would now attempt to turn the Hellenic states into territories that mirrored Sparta itself → converted democracies into oligarchies and aristocracies. - Thebes would become the city-state to rebel against its despotic rulers. - Thebes would remove a Spartan garrison in its city-state and use this to begin their drive to remove the Spartans from power. - Thebes would use a 50 man column to dismantle the Spartan phalanx. - Thebes would rule for nine years before being deposed.