From Cyrus the Great to the From Cyrus the Great to the Persian WarPersian War

Events leading to the Battle Events leading to the Battle of Marathonof Marathon

• Construct a timeline or chart in your notes of events leading to the Persian War using chapter 9, section 1.

Dates People Events

• Herodotus (484-425 BC)– founder of historical writing– “The Father of History”. – In his greatest work, “The Persian War”,

he describes the crucial battle of Marathon between the Greeks and the Persians.

550 BC550 BC

• Conquers Lydia (in Asia Minor)– Herodotus Histories, 1.53, p. 21. King Croesus of Lydia consults the

oracle of Delphi when contemplating an attack on the Persians. The oracle responded that Croesus' attack would "destroy a great empire."  Unfortunately for Croesus, the great empire that was destroyed was his own empire of Lydia.

– Herodotus Histories, 1.80, p. 33. Cyrus instructed the Persians to "kill without mercy every Lydian they met--except Croesus”

• Conquers Babylon– Ends “Babylonian Captivity” of the Israelites

• Cyrus the Great unites Persia– Unites Persian aristocrats to revolt

against the Medes– Gains independence for Persia– Begins building an empire

529 BC529 BC

• The Persian Empire– 2500 miles from east to west– Look at the map on pg. 261

• Which modern-day countries?

• Cyrus dies– His son

Cambyses takes over

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC

•Cyrus the Great •Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies

525 BC525 BC

• Cambyses conquers Egypt– Herodotus Histories, 3.30-2, p. 165-7. Cambyses murders

his brother Smerdis and his sister, who was also his wife.

– Insanity !!!!!

• Cambyses dies in 521 BC– Darius takes over

• Darius controls Asia; wants to be master of Europe too

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquers Egypt

499 BC499 BC

• Ionians (Greeks in Asia Minor) declare a revolt against the Persians – Ionians seek assistance from Sparta and Athens

• Sparta says “no”

– Athens sends help, but not nearly enough • Athens sent 20 ships, but they were crushed by the

Persians• Athens angered a giant

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC•499 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses•Darius

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquering Egypt•Revolt in Asia Minor

• 490 BC - Persia seeks to punish Athens for assisting the Ionians – Darius sends a fleet of warships to attack Greece

at the port city of Marathon.

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC•499 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses•Darius

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquering Egypt•Revolt in Asia Minor

490 BC490 BC

• The Battle of Marathon – Herodotus Histories, 22.109-110. – 109. Now the opinions of the generals of the Athenians were divided,

and the one party urged that they should not fight a battle, seeingthat they were too few to fight with the army of the Medes (Persians), while the others, and among them Miltiades (a Greek general), advised that they should do so……Miltiades … said as follows: "With thee now it rests, Callimachos (a Greek general), either to bring Athens under slavery, or by making her free to leave behind thee for all the time that men shall live a memorial … For now the Athenians have come to a danger the greatest to which they have ever come since they were a people; and on the one hand, if they submit to the Medes (Persians), it is determined what they shall suffer…

– 110. Thus speaking Miltiades gained Callimachos to his side; and theopinion of the polemarch (leader of Athens) being added, it was thus determined to fight a battle.

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC•499 BC•490 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses•Darius

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquering Egypt•Revolt in Asia Minor•Battle of Marathon

• Battle of Marathon not going well– Persia is clobbering Athens

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC•499 BC•490 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses•Darius

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquering Egypt•Revolt in Asia Minor•Battle of Marathon

• Pheidippides is sent from Athens to Sparta to ask for help– Herodotus Histories, 22.105.– 105. First of all, while they were still in the city, the generals

sent off to Sparta a herald, namely Pheidippides an Athenian … runner of long day-courses and one who practiced this as his profession. …

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC•499 BC•490 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses•Darius

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquering Egypt•Revolt in Asia Minor•Battle of Marathon

1896 Olympic marathon

• Sparta doesn’t help, but a storm does– A strong storm trashes the Persian navy

• Athens wins the Battle of Marathon– The score:

Greece 1, Persia 0

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC•499 BC•490 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses•Darius

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquering Egypt•Revolt in Asia Minor•Battle of Marathon

480 BC480 BC

• Battle of Thermopylae– Xerxes inherits the Persian throne– Wants to finish what Darius started

10 years ago– Land Battle

• Outnumbered Greeks are doomed• 300 Spartans led by Leonidas buy time to regroup• Persian army wins but suffers heavily

– Naval Battle• Outnumbered Greeks are doomed• Themistocles convinces Greece to build ships• Greek navy wins

• Persians quit the war in defeat– The score: Greece 2, Persia 0

Dates People Events

•550 BC•529 BC•525 BC•499 BC•490 BC•480 BC

•Cyrus the Great

•Cambyses•Darius

•Xerxes

•Revolt against the Medes•Cyrus dies / Empire•Conquering Egypt•Revolt in Asia Minor•Battle of Marathon•Battle of Thermopylae