Persian Wars

Peloponnesian War

Alexander the Great

Sparta fights Persia at the Battle of Thermopylae. -300 Men

The Spartan bravery was an inspiration to all Greece.

Battle of Marathon

Persians attack 26 miles from Marathon

Sparta does not help Athens

Athens wins a huge victory

A soldier runs the 26.2 miles to tell the city

Others fought beside Athens

Persia loses to Athens

Athens & other city-states

Athens emerged as the most powerful city-state

Delian League formed—alliance system between the Greek City-States

Treasury used to rebuild Athens

Greek against Greek

Athens against Sparta

Sparta defeated Athens

Led to the downfall of Greek power

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

WHY SO GREAT? SAYS WHO?

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)

The king of Macedonia who conquered the Persian empire and annexed it to Macedonia, is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times.

At 20, Alexander ascended to the Macedonian throne when his father was assassinated.

He first united Macedonia with Greece city-states

He then turned east…

The Macedonian army soon encountered the Persian army under King Darius III

Alexander attacked an army of Persians and Greek hoplites (heavily armed foot soldiers of ancient Greece) who distinguished themselves on the side of the Persians against the Macedonians.

Alexander's forces defeated the enemy (totaling 40,000 men) and, according to tradition, lost only 110 men.

Alexander entered Egypt in 331 BC. When he arrived, he was welcomed, and he ordered a city to be designed and founded in his name at the mouth of the river Nile.

Alexandria would become one of the major cultural centers in the Mediterranean world in the following centuries.

He was then made pharaoh voluntarily by the Egyptians, who despised living under Persian rule. He exchanged letters with Darius who offered a truce and a with a gift of several western provinces of the Persian Empire.

Alexander refused to make peace unless he could have the whole empire.

ALEXANDER MARCHED HIS ARMY AGAIN TO PERSIA

THE FOUGHT AND DEFEATED THE PERSIANS FOR GOOD

ALEXANDER WAS DECLARED KING OF PERSIA

HE’S NOW KING OF MACEDONIA AND GREECE, PHAROH OF EGYPT, AND KING OF PERSIA

NOT BAD FOR A 25 YEAR OLD HUH?

HE MARCHED FOR 11 YEARS AND NEVER LOST A BATTLE

NO ONE IS EXACTLY SURE WHAT HAPPENED, BUT HE DIES AT THE AGE OF 33

HIS EMPIRE FELL APART SOON AFTER HIS DEATH.

HE DID NOT LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RULE, ONLY CONQUER

CREATED A NEW CULTURE

“HELLENISTIC” A BLENDING OF 4 DIFFERENT CULTURES

GREEK CULTURE PERSIAN CULTURE

EGYPTIAN CULTURE INDIAN CULTURE

UNITED AN EMPIRE OF 22 MILLION SQUARE MILES

SET UP COMMON MONEY FOR HIS REALM

MADE GREEK THE DOMINANT LANGUAGE IN THE AREA

70 CITIES ARE NAMED ALEXANDRIA IN HIS HONOR

USED GREEK, MACEDONIAN AND PERSIANS TO RUN HIS EMPIRE

FORCED HIS SOLDIERS TO INTERMARRY WITH PERSIAN, EGYPTIANS AND INDIANS

HE MARRIED PERSIAN AND GREEK AND INDIAN PRINCESSES

HAD FAMILIES SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO GREECE FOR SCHOOL

SET THE STAGE FOR ROME TO CONQUER IN THE FUTURE

ALLOWED GREEK CULTURE TO SURVIVE FOR 1000 YEARS