Year 12 History: Ancient Greece and Persian Wars

• The provided material relates to Year 12 History studies, specifically focusing on Ancient Greece and the Persian Wars within the HSC (Higher School Certificate) framework.
• The lessons cover the period from Term 4 of Year 11 to Term 3 of Year 12, covering Ancient Societies, Historical Periods, and core studies.
• Overall HSC Grade based on
  • School Assessment Tasks (50%)
  • HSC Examination (50%)

Key Dates and Topics:

• Term 4, Weeks 1-9: Spartan Society up to the Battle of Leuctra (371 BC)
• Term 4, Week 10 - Term 1, Weeks 1-8: The Greek World (500-440 B.C.E)
• Term 1, Weeks 9-10 - Term 2, Weeks 1-5: Xerxes
• Term 2: Week 6-10 - Term 3, Weeks 1-6: Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum (CORE Study)

Assessment Components

• Historical Analysis on Sparta (25%, Week 9)
• Essay on the Greek World (25%, Week 8)
• Source Analysis on Xerxes/P+H (20%, Week 8)
• Trial HSC covering all topics (30%, Term 3 Exam Block)

Historical Period: The Greek World (500-440 B.C.E.)

• Focus is primarily on the analysis and investigation of archaeological and written sources relating to power, authority, historical developments, and relevant historiographical issues.

Key Ancient Text for the Unit:

• Herodotus' "The Histories" which provides information on Sparta and Xerxes

Ancient Greece Context

Chronological and Geographical Landscape:

• Greek city-states situated around the Mediterranean and Near East.
• During the Greek colonization period (800 to 550 BC), city-states established colonies across the Mediterranean facilitating the spread of goods, people, art, and ideas.

Key Powers:

• Ancient Greek maritime city-states.
• The Persian Empire bordered Greek states to the east.
• Other smaller, fragmented powers include the Phoenicians and Etruscans.

Geographical Features:

• The Greek peninsula is surrounded by water
• The southern part forms the Peloponnese peninsula, connected by the Corinthian isthmus.
• Over 1,500 islands make up Greece.
• Mountainous areas have cold winters, while plains have hot summers.
• The variety of landforms in Greece resulted geographic isolation which promotes city states rather than a central country.

Key Vocabulary:

• Polis: A politically independent city-state.
• Hellas: The Greek term for Greece.
• Hellenes: People of Greece.
• Hellenic: Relating to Greek culture.
• Pan-Hellenic: A unified Greece.
• Medes: Another name for the Persians.
• Medise: To side with the Persian empire

Study topic points

• A polis is a city that was politically independent
• Greece was not a country" as it is a collective of "city-states" or poleis which had a common language and way of life

Why study Ancient Greece?

• Reveals how a small state can fight against strong odds using courage, unity, and motivation.
• Shows first Western democracy in history which was made possible due to wealth from empire and the presence of slavery.
• Athens' remains can still visited by millions.

Unit Events:

In the period 500-440 B.C.E. in Ancient Greece:

• The Persian Empire attempted to invade Greece twice
• The Athenian Empire grew at its greatest height
• Key people were prominent such as Miltiades, Themistocles, Pausanias, Cimon, Pericles
• Sparta and Athens competed against each other, which later led to the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.E.)
• Athens' democracy flourished
• Architecture became its best in Athens and spread across the country

The Persian Wars

• Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome contributed to Western beliefs and ideals.
• Greek states saw victory as a symbol of heroism and defeat of Persians seen as villainous

Why are Greeks glorified?

• The vast majority of information available to historians comes from Greek sources.
• Historic texts from the 5th Century B.C.E. which tell the stories of the Ancient Greeks include The Histories written by Greek historian Herodotus. Herodotus seemed very fond of Athens so his sources had to be considered with care.
• Ancient Greek writers such as Aeschylus (The Persians), Thucydides (History of the Peloponnesian War), and Plutarch (Greek biographer in 1st Century C.E.) provided information on the lives of Greek and Roman leaders

Persian Imperialism

• Territory of Persia grew and added to the king's glory.
• Persia wanted retaliation to scare people and they wanted submission that they could use of their lands and waters
• 513 B.C.E., Darius' forces entered Thrace and destroyed rivaling tribes.

Events at Naxos:

• Aristagoras was expelled from Naxos with pro-Persian tyrant
• Aristagoras wanted to go into Naxos which lead to Persian expansion across the Aegean
• The attack failed after four months
• Aristagoras, scared that Persians would go after them, tried to revolt from Persian law

The Ionian Revolt:

• Greek city-states from Ionia were under Persian rule with tyrants from Persia in charge.
• The new tyrant killed the old tyrants and Aristagoras assisted Greek land state
• 499 B.C.E., tyrants removed.
• They were driven from power and killed from stoning
• There was climax to the revolt after destruction of Sardis and burned to anger Darius
• Revolt ended after Battle of Lade where Persians won

The Results of the Ionian Revolt:

• Darius' was obsessed with revenge against Athens
• Increase in migration from Ionian cities to mainland Greece
• 20 ships assisted revolt to help a small city
• Darius ruled all Ionian cities because he was aware of his economic and strategic potential of Greece.

Invasion of 490 B.C.E

• 494 B.C.E, The Ionian revolt was taken under control
• Darius obsessed to get revenge on Athens and Eretrians so he set his son-in-law, Mardonius as commander-in-chief
• 492 BCE, Mardonius removed tyrants in Ionia.
• and proceeded over to Athens and Eritrea as Herdotus's says and subdued Thasos and Macedonia which were taken under Persian law.
• Herodotus had exaggerated how catastrophic it would be
• Persia continued for a conquest

Was Darius intent on destroying Athens?

• 490 B.C.E., Darius prepared another attack on the Greeks with generals Datis and Artaphernes.

• Athens would not likely be destroyed, but instead utilized as a puppet state with the help of Hippias, the Athenian tyrant

• Greek cities had a chance to comply with Persia as they agreed to offer Persian king "earth and water"

• Athens, Eritrea, and Sparta wouldn't take action since these states said no to Persian rule

• Persians were going to target Athens and Eritrea to try to hop off and honor Apollo at Delos and set course to Euboea: eventually burning this to the ground and forcing its people into slavery

Key Information:

There was no unity among the Greeks from facing the Persian power as people agreed that the power should be with Persia. Athens had no action plan.

Battle of Marathon:

Greeks knew of the planned attack and raised people to fight as Athenians did with 9,000 men. The Boeotian town of Plataea wanted to fight so they had 1,000 people with the Athenians. Callimachus' Athenian power included ten generals (strategoi) as Miltiades organized the battle led by the Athenian people. Miltiades decided they would meet Persian people and sources note Athenians were outnumbered

• Athenian people split and didn't know what action to take
• Herodotus was read as proof of how Miltiades was trying to persuade people to fight.

Summary of Battle of Marathon:

• (1)Athenians in formation with Plataeans (commanded byCallimachus) on the left fighting Miltiades
• (2) Athenians made contact. Their weak central base was pushed back, but their main wings remained strong.
• (3) The enemy would push the Athenians back in the city; however they were ambushed and could not advance.
• (4)The Athenians seized seven ships and killed Persian forces
• (5)Fleet sent to southern Athens where the Athenians had taken control and positioned at top Mt Lycabettus
• (192) Athenians were killed compared to more than 6,000 soldiers
• Athens stayed away from Eretria's fate and had Athens' soldiers seen as war heroes to commemorate their time at battle
• There was more east attacks during Darius's time and before Xerxes had settled from his passing

What lead to the end of Greek and Persian wars through better terrain and terrain.

• The reasons why Athenians were victorious:*
• A military official leader Miltiades gave skilled leadership.
• The Athenian and Plataean soldiers had better equipment than what Persia had with them
• Great terrain contributed

Key Details to take with Caution when taking information from Herdotus:

• Many books had great and fantastic stories as if he was writing a story

• Always was exaggerating and never a military expertise

• Herodotus was proud of Athens and favored them when writing

• Used oral material through other to make material

Positives to using information form Herodotus:

• He knew and was educated
• Knew material through oral accounts
• Not as untrustworthy as he was given credit for

Key aspects of Greek society:

Removal of oligarchic leaders for political rivals

Interwar period

Between the Achaemenid Empire and the Hellenic states:

• There's high tension after the Battle of Marathon of Greeks to plan the final invasion from the east
• Persia is then in midst of an Egypt revolt In the period 480.s, Xerxes gave warnings to Greek leaders except to Athens and Sparta.
• 481 B.C.E*, where there was the Hellenic league and Greece was able to preside over Sparta. Any state that medised would have riches taken
  • *31 people at the Congress never made the congress
• 485 and 480 B.C.E.* and Darius died his successor was his son, Xerxes. Egypt was under revolt with crushing rebels
  • Persians went in power to 480 B.C.E. to set preparations

Year 12 History lessons covering Ancient Greece and the Persian Wars within the HSC framework. Topics include Spartan society, the Greek world (500-440 B.C.E), Xerxes, and Pompeii/Herculaneum. Assessment components involve historical analysis, essays, and source analysis.