Persia Attacks the Greeks

Chapter 7Section 3

Did You Know?

After conquering Babylon in 539 B.C., Cyrus the Great wrote the Charter of Human Rights, which many historians call the first declaration of human rights.

The Persian Empire

Persians were warriors and nomads who lived in Persia, the southwestern area of what is today Iran. Cyrus the Great united the Persians.

Persians built a large empire: Conquering Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and Phoenician

cities, among other lands.

Darius came to power in 521 B.C. and reorganized the government.

The empire under Darius was divided into satrapies, each with a ruler known as a satrap.

The satraps answered to the king. The military of Persia consisted of full-time, paid soldiers known as

Immortals. Zoroastrianism, the religion of Persia, was founded by Zoroaster,

who believed in one god, the freedom of humans, and the triumph of good.

Discussion Question?

How did Cyrus’s compassion for his people help the Persian Empire grow?

People are more likely to follow a ruler who cares about them. People often attempt to overthrow cruel or unfair rulers.

The Persian Wars

After a failed rebellion by the Greeks, King Darius decided to stop the mainland Greeks from interfering in the Persian Empire. The Battle of Marathon:

Occurred in 490 B.C. on the plain of Marathon, a short distance from Athens.

The Persians waited there for the Athenians. When they did not come, the Persian commander ordered the troops back on the boats.

When the horsemen were on the boats, the Greeks charged the Persian foot soldiers and defeated them.

The Persian Wars

After Darius’s death, his son Xerxes became king. He vowed a new invasion of Greece. Battle of Thermopylae:

Athens and Sparta joined forces to defend against Xerxes’s attack. Greeks fought Persians for 2 days. The Greeks lost the battle, but during the fighting 200 ships assembled in

Athens. Battle of Salamis:

The Greeks used their faster, smaller ships to defeat the Persian fleet. Afterward, the Persians entered Athens and burned the city.

Battle of Plataea: The Greek army won. This was the turning point of the wars with Persia.

The Persian army fell for several reasons: The Persians were weakened by war. Their rulers taxed the people and spent the money lavishly. The sons of kings had little power, so they killed rulers to get power.

Discussion Question

How did modern marathon races get their name?

Legend tells that the Athenians sent a messenger to Athens after their victory at the Battle of Marathon.The messenger ran nearly 25 miles to

Athens.There he collapsed. His final word was “victory”.Today’s marathons are about 26 miles

long.