Persia Attacks the Greeks - PDF

Persia Attacks the Greeks What’s the Connection? Meeting People Section 2 explained how Greeks Cyrus the Great (SY ruhs) built strong but separate city-st...

Persia Attacks the Greeks What’s the Connection? Meeting People Section 2 explained how Greeks Cyrus the Great (SY ruhs) built strong but separate city-states. Darius (duh RY uhs) At the same time far to the east, the Xerxes (ZUHRK SEEZ) Persians were building a powerful Themistocles empire. It was only a matter of time (thuh MIHS tuh KLEEZ) before Persia would try to invade Greece. Building Your Vocabulary satrapies (SAY truh peez) Focusing on the satrap (SAY TRAP) The Persian Empire united a wide Zoroastrianism (ZOHR uh WAS area under a single government. tree uh NIH zuhm) (page 132) Both Sparta and Athens played roles Reading Strategy in defeating the Persians. (page 134) Organizing Information Create a chart like the one below to list the Locating Places accomplishments of Cyrus, Darius, Persia (PUHR zhuh) and Xerxes. Marathon (MAR uh THAHN) Ruler Accomplishments Thermopylae Cyrus (thuhr MAH puh lee) Darius Salamis (SA luh muhs) Plataea (pluh TEE uh) Xerxes 650 B.C. 550 B.C. 450 B.C. 660 B.C. 559 B.C. 480 B.C. Zoroaster Cyrus becomes Xerxes invades born ruler of Persia Greece CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 131 (l)Mary Evans Picture Library, (c)Bettmann/CORBIS, (r)Roger Wood/CORBIS The Persian Empire to unite the Persians into a powerful kingdom. Under Cyrus, who ruled from The Persian Empire united a wide area 559 B.C. to 530 B.C., Persia began building under a single government. an empire larger than any yet seen in the Reading Focus Have you ever seen soldiers marching world. through city streets on the news? Imagine the same thing happening in Asia in the 500s B.C. Read to learn The Rise of the Persian Empire In 539 B.C. what happened as Persian armies marched westward Cyrus’s armies swept into Mesopotamia from Asia. and captured Babylon. Then they took over northern Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, The people of Persia (PUHR zhuh) lived Canaan, and the Phoenician cities. Cyrus in what is today southwestern Iran. Early treated all his new subjects well. As you Persians were warriors and nomads who read in Chapter 3, he allowed the captive herded cattle. For a time, they were domi- Jews in Babylon to return home. Cyrus’s nated by others. Then one remarkable merciful rule helped hold his growing leader, Cyrus the Great (SY ruhs), managed empire together. The Persian Empire 500 B.C. 20°E 40°E 60°E N Aral Sea 40°N Black Sea W E Ca GREECE S spi an Sardis ASIA m A uD Se a M ed MINOR ary a R. ite Crete M Tigri rra ES sR nea Cyprus OP Nineveh. n Se a Byblos OT KEY R. PHOENICIA Eu ph AM Indus ra Persian Empire Tyre tes PERSIA Jerusalem Royal Road IA R. Babylon Susa EGYPT Persepolis Nil Pe ia eR rs Thebes n. G ulf Re Arabian Sea dS ea 20°N A system of roads, including the 0 500 miles Royal Road, helped Persian kings rule their empire. 0 500 kilometers 1. About how long was the Royal Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection Road? 2. Based on the map, why might the Persian Empire have been a threat Bronze model of Persian chariot to Greece? 132 SEF/Art Resource, NY  The leaders who followed Cyrus con- tinued to add to Persian territory. They King Darius conquered Egypt, western India, and Darius helped to organize Thrace, a region northeast of Greece. From the Persian government. one end to the other, the Persian Empire What methods did he use? was about the size of the continental United States today. To connect their vast holdings, the Persians built miles of roads. The Royal Road stretched from Asia Minor to Susa, the Persian capital. Along the way, the Persians set up roadside stations to supply food, shelter, and fresh horses to the king’s messengers. What Was Persian Government Like? As the Persian Empire grew bigger, it became very difficult to manage. When Darius (duh RY uhs) came to the throne in 521 B.C., he reorganized the government to make it work better. Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces called satrapies (SAY truh peez). Each was ruled by an official with the title of satrap (SAY TRAP), meaning “protector of the kingdom.” The satrap acted as tax col- lector, judge, chief of police, and head recruiter for the Persian army. However, all the satraps answered to the Persian king. The king’s power depended upon his was born in 660 B.C. He began preaching troops. By the time of Darius, Persia had a after seeing visions as a young man. large army of professional soldiers. Unlike Like the Jews, Zoroaster believed in the Greek city-states, where the citizens one god. He viewed this supreme being as took up arms in times of war, in Persia the creator of all things and a force of the government paid people to be full-time goodness. However, Zoroaster recognized soldiers. Among them were 10,000 specially evil in the world, too. He taught that trained soldiers who guarded the king. humans had the freedom to choose They were called the Immortals because between right and wrong, and that good- when a member died, he was immediately ness would triumph in the end. The replaced. Persians practiced Zoroastrianism for cen- turies, and it still has a small number of The Persian Religion The Persian religion followers today. was called Zoroastrianism (ZOHR uh WAS Explain Why did Darius tree uh NIH zuhm). Its founder, Zoroaster, create satrapies? CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 133 The Art Archive/Dagli Orti The Persian Wars against their Persian rulers. The rebellion failed, but King Darius decided the main- Both Sparta and Athens played roles in land Greeks had to be stopped from inter- defeating the Persians. fering in the Persian Empire. Reading Focus Have you and a rival ever set aside your differences to work for a common cause? This hap- The Battle of Marathon In 490 B.C. a Persian fleet landed 20,000 soldiers on the pened in ancient Greece when Sparta and Athens came together to fight the Persians. Read about the outcome. plain of Marathon (MAR uh THAHN), only a short distance from Athens. For several days, the Persians waited there for the As the Greeks set up colonies in the Athenians to advance. The Athenians, how- Mediterranean area, they often clashed ever, did not take the bait. They had only with the Persians. By the mid-500s B.C., 10,000 soldiers compared to the Persians’ Persia already controlled the Greek cities in 20,000. They knew that attacking was too Asia Minor. In 499 B.C. the Athenian army dangerous. Instead they held back in the helped the Greeks in Asia Minor rebel hills overlooking the plain. Persian Wars 499–479 B.C. In Motion 0 100 miles 0 100 kilometers Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection Sea of Marmara 1 Athenian army defeats 40°N Persian army. 2 Greek force, led by Spartans, falls to Aegean Persian army. Sea Thermopylae Sardis 4 Greeks defeat Persians, Plataea Marathon ending the war. Salamis 3 Greek fleet defeats Miletus Persian navy. Athens Sparta 20°E N KEY W E Greek states S Persian Empire Crete 1st Persian invasion, 490 B.C. 30°E 2nd Persian invasion, The Persian Empire invaded Greece twice 480 B.C. and M ewas d i tbeaten e r r a n back e a n both times. Major battle 1. WhichSe of athe major battles shown was a naval battle? 2. Why might attacks on the Greek city- states have been difficult for the Persians? 134 CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks  Tired of waiting, the Persian com- mander decided to sail south and attack Athens directly. He ordered his troops back Herodotus’s onto the ships, and it was then that he made a big mistake. The first to board, he History decided, would be the horsemen in the cav- alry, the strongest part of the Persian army. As soon as the cavalry was out of fight- ing range, the Greeks charged down from the hills and onto the plain of Marathon. They caught the Persian foot soldiers stand- ing in the water, waiting their turn to board the ships. Unable to defend themselves, the Persians were easily defeated. According to legend, the Athenians sent a messenger named Pheidippides (fy DIHP uh DEEZ) home with the news. The runner raced nearly 25 miles (40.2 km) from Marathon to Athens. He collapsed from exhaustion and, with his last breath, announced, “Victory.” Then he died. Herodotus reading to a crowd Modern marathon races are named for this famous run and are just over 26 miles long. The Greek historian Herodotus (hih RAH duh tuhs) wrote History of the Persian Wars. This is thought to be the first real history in Another Persian Strike After Darius died Western civilization. Herodotus described the in 486 B.C., his son Xerxes (ZUHRK SEEZ) conflict between the Greeks and Persians as became the Persian king. Xerxes vowed one between freedom and dictatorship. Here revenge against the Athenians. In 480 B.C. he tells of Xerxes’ address to Persian nobles: he launched a new invasion of Greece, this “And truly I have pondered upon this, until at last time with about 180,000 troops and thou- I have found out a way whereby we may at once sands of warships and supply vessels. win glory, and likewise get possession of a land which is as large and as rich as our own... while To defend themselves, the Greeks joined at the same time we obtain satisfaction and forces. Sparta sent the most soldiers, and revenge... My intent is to... march an army their king, Leonidas (lee AH nuh duhs), through Europe against Greece, that thereby I served as commander. Athens provided the may obtain vengeance from the Athenians for navy. An Athenian general, Themistocles the wrongs committed by them against the (thuh MIHS tuh KLEEZ), came up with a plan Persians and against my father.” to fight the Persians. —Herodotus, The Persian Wars, Book VII The Greeks knew that as the huge Persian army marched south, it depended on shipments of food brought in by boat. What reasons besides revenge does Xerxes Themistocles argued that the Greeks’ best have for invading Greece? strategy would be to attack the Persians’ ships and cut off food supplies to the army. CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 135 Bettmann/CORBIS  To ready their fleet for battle, the Greeks stayed behind and fought to the death. The needed to stall the Persian army before it Greeks lost the battle at Thermopylae, but reached Athens. The Greeks decided the their valiant stand gave Athens enough best place to block the Persians was at time to assemble 200 ships. Thermopylae (thuhr MAH puh lee). Ther- The Greek fleet attacked the Persian mopylae was a narrow pass through the fleet in the strait of Salamis (SA luh muhs), mountains that was easy to defend. About not far from Athens. A strait is a narrow strip 7,000 Greek soldiers held off the Persians of water between two pieces of land. The there for two days. The Spartans in the Greeks expected to have the upper hand in Greek army were especially brave. As one the battle because their ships could maneu- story has it, the Greeks heard that Persian ver well in tight spaces. Greek ships were arrows would darken the sky. A Spartan smaller, faster, and easier to steer than the big warrior responded, “That is good news. We Persian ships, which became easy targets. will fight in the shade!” The Greek plan worked. After a ferocious Unfortunately for the Greeks, a traitor battle, the Greeks destroyed almost the entire directed the Persians to a mountain path Persian fleet. Still, the Persian army marched that led them around the Greeks. As the on. When their troops reached Athens, the Persians mounted a rear attack, King Greeks had already fled. Leonidas sent most of his troops to safety. The Persians burned the city. This only He and several hundred others, however, stiffened the resolve of the Greek city-states. Battle of Salamis At the Battle of Salamis, smaller, faster Greek ships defeated the Persian fleet. Near what Greek city-state was the strait of Salamis located? Peter Connolly In early 479 B.C., they came together to The high taxes angered their subjects form the largest Greek army ever assem- and caused many rebellions. At the same bled. With solid body armor, longer spears, time, the Persian royal family fought over and better training, the Greek army who was to be king. Many of the later crushed the Persian army at Plataea (pluh Persian kings were killed by other family TEE uh), northwest of Athens. members who wanted the throne. The battle was a turning point for the Persian kings had many wives and Greeks, convincing the Persians to retreat to children. The sons had little, if any, power Asia Minor. By working together, the Greek so they were constantly plotting to take city-states had saved their homeland from over the throne. As a result of such plots, invasion. six of the nine rulers after Darius were murdered. What Caused the Persian Empire to Fall? All of these problems made Persia When the Greeks defeated the Persian vulnerable to attack. By the time a young army, they helped to weaken it. The empire Greek conqueror named Alexander in- was already facing internal problems. As vaded the empire in 334 B.C., the Persians these problems worsened, the empire were no match for his troops. would gradually lose its strength. By 330 B.C., the last Persian king was dead Persia remained intact for almost 150 and Alexander ruled over all his lands. You more years. However, after Darius and will learn more about Alexander the Great Xerxes, other Persian rulers raised taxes to and his many achievements in Chapter 5. gain more wealth. They spent the gold and silver that flowed into the treasuries on lux- Cause and Effect What led uries for the royal court. to the Persian Wars? Study Central™ Need help with the material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com What Did You Learn? Reading Summary 1. Why was Cyrus considered a fair ruler? 4. Persuasive Writing Imagine you are an adviser to Xerxes Review the 2. What was the Royal Road? and are alarmed about his plan The Persian Empire united its for revenge on Greece. Compose many lands under a single Critical Thinking a letter to him outlining rea- government. 3. Summarize Draw a table like sons why he should cancel his the one below. Then summarize invasion of Greece. The Persian Empire attacked what happened at each battle Greece several times. Despite in the Persian Wars. 5. Making their rivalry, Athens and Sparta Connections The Persians Battle Action wanted revenge against the joined forces to defeat the Marathon Greeks. Describe an event in Persians. Thermopylae your own life or on the news Salamis where revenge was involved. Plataea What was the outcome? CHAPTER 4 The Ancient Greeks 137