The Persian Wars: Ancient Greece PDF

The Persian Wars: The Quest to Conquer Ancient Greece The Persian Wars were the conflicts between Greece and Persia in the 5th century B.C. The Persian Empire occupied large territories, from northern Africa to the Middle East to even a part of India. The Persian Empire is also known as ancien...

The Persian Wars: The Quest to Conquer Ancient Greece The Persian Wars were the conflicts between Greece and Persia in the 5th century B.C. The Persian Empire occupied large territories, from northern Africa to the Middle East to even a part of India. The Persian Empire is also known as ancient Iran. In 490 B.C. and 480 B.C., the Persians led campaigns to conquer the city-states of ancient Greece. Several of the most famous and significant battles in history were fought during this period. If the Greeks had been defeated, their culture might have been lost forever. Places such as Europe and North America were deeply influenced by the Greeks. It was ancient Greece that developed ideas that included democracy, classical architecture and sculpture, theater, and the Olympic Games. Origins of the wars King Darius was the ruler of Persia from 522 B.C. to 486 B.C. Under his rule, the empire had conquered northern Greece and what is today the country of Turkey by the beginning of the 5th century B.C. Next in King Darius' sights were Athens and the rest of Greece. At the time, Greece was made up of many city-states, or cities that ruled their surrounding region. The most powerful were Athens and Sparta. In 491 B.C., Darius once again sent messengers demanding that the Greeks submit to Persia. The Greek city-states replied by executing the messengers and formed an alliance to fend off the Persian army. Marathon Darius put his General Datis in charge of an army numbering 90,000 men. The Greeks commanded a total force of only between 10,000 and 20,000. The assault by the Persian archers shooting arrows from far away ran head-first into the heavily armed foot soldiers, or hoplites, of the Greeks. Each hoplite carried a large round shield, spears and swords. They were organized in a solid line, or phalanx, where each man's shield protected both himself and his neighbor in a wall of bronze. The armies clashed near the town of Marathon in 490 B.C. The Persian tactic of rapidly firing arrows into the enemy must have been an awesome sight. But the lightness of the arrows meant they had little effect against bronze-armored hoplites. The Greeks' longer spears, heavier swords, better armor and good organization helped them to win. For the Greeks, Marathon quickly became a legendary battle and marked the end of the first Persian War. The Persians fled back to Asia, but they would return in bigger numbers. Thermopylae Xerxes succeeded Darius on the Persian throne and led a huge force to attack Greece again in 480 B.C. The Persian army invaded Greece via a passage through the mountains of Thermopylae on the eastern coast. A small army of Greeks led by Spartan King Leonidas bravely blocked the passage for three days. Every Greek soldier was killed, but news of their courage spread and is still remembered today. At the same time, the Greek fleet held off the Persian ships near the coastal cliffs called Artemision. These clashes bought Greece time to face even bigger challenges. Salamis Many Greek city-states were afraid of the Persians, so they joined the Persian Empire. The city of Athens was destroyed and burned by the Persian army. Near the island of Salamis, the Greeks once more faced a larger enemy force, probably 500 Persian ships to 300 Greek ships. The Greeks used a fast and maneuverable type of warship called a trireme. It was powered by three banks of oars and armed with a bronze ram in the front. The Persians also had triremes, but the Greeks could count on the great Athenian General Themistocles. He had 20 years of experience and the confidence from his leadership at Artemision. Themistocles carried out a bold plan to lure the Persian fleet into the narrow Straits of Salamis, where he hit the enemy fleet so hard it had no way to escape. Themistocles' experience and planning led to a great victory for the Greeks. Plataea After Salamis, Xerxes returned home to his palace at Susa, one of the Persian capitals, but he did not give up. He left the general, Mardonius, in charge, and the Persians' position remained strong despite the defeat at Salamis. Their large army still controlled much of Greece. In 479 B.C., the two sides met again at the city of Plataea. The Greeks gathered the largest hoplite army ever seen, numbering about 110,000 men sent from 30 different city-states. The Persians had an army of a similar size. The Persian horsemen and archers played their part, but it was, once again, the superiority of the hoplite and phalanx that won the battle for the Greeks. Finally, they had ended Xerxes' ambitions in Greece. Aftermath and peace In addition to their victory at Plataea, the Greeks scored another victory in the Battle of Mycale in Ionia, in modern-day Turkey. The Greek fleet led by Leotychides landed an army that wiped out the Persian forces there. Persia would remain a threat, but Greece had survived its greatest danger. Around 449 B.C., a peace agreement was finally signed, the Peace of Callias. The Persian Empire continued to thrive for another 100 years. For Greece, the victory guaranteed freedom from foreign rule. More importantly, it started a rich period of artistic and cultural growth that laid the foundations for European civilization.