Persia And The

Greek Wars
PRESENTED BY:

BALDO, REBECCA AM LORRAINE

L.

BALOLONG, KRIS JIL P

AB HISTORY II
 Overview of the Religion and Government
01 Achaemenid/Persian 03 of the ancient Persians
Empire

The Expansion of the Major event of the Greco-

02 Achaemenid/Persian 04 Persian Wars
Empire
The Antecedent of the Persian empire

Summerians – 35000 – 1900 BC

Akkadians: 2334 – 2155 BC
Babylonians : 1900 -539 BC
Assyrians: 2500 – 605 BC
 WHO ARE THE PERSIANS?
The Persian Empire started as a collection of semi-
nomadic tribes who raised sheep, goats and cattle
on the Iranian plateau. Cyrus the Great—the leader
of one such tribe—began to defeat nearby
kingdoms, including Media, Lydia and Babylon,
joining them under one rule.
The Expansion of The Achaemenid/Persian
Empire
Persian Empire under Cyrus the
Great 550 – 546 BCE
• Established the first Persian Empire
• A tolerant ruler, he allowed different cultures within his empire to keep their own
institutions
• His empire, stretching from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River, was the largest that had
ever existed at the time of his rule.
• Cyrus pieced his kingdom together using a mixture of conquest and diplomacy,
attesting to his skills as a warrior and a statesman.
• Expanded the Persian Empire
550 BCE - 330 BCE: The Persian Achaemenid Empire
 reigns over Central Asia, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and 
Egypt.
547 BCE: Phrygia becomes a Satrapy of the Persian
empire and Anatolia conquered by the Persians. 
546 BC: The Persians occupy Cyprus, being invited by
Cypriot leaders.
 
539 BCE: Fall of Babylon, conquered by Cyrus of Persia.
Return of the Jews.

 
530 BCE: Persia conquers the Indus Valley.

 
530 BCE - 522 BCE In 530 BCE Cambyses II take
over the reign of his late father Cyrus the Great. 

• Cambyses II (flourished 6th century bce), Achaemenid ruler of

Persia (529–522 bce), conqueror of Egypt in 525
• The eldest son of King Cyrus II the Great
• Cambyses was in charge of Babylonian affairs during his
father's lifetime. Persia conquers both  rich Phoenician cities of
the eastern Mediterranean coast and Egypt. and Cambyses II
became the pharaoh of Egypt
• Advanced the Achaemenid frontier down the Nile as far the
first Cataract
 Darius the Great (522 - 486 BCE)
• Extended he Persian empire to the Indus river in Northern India (Empire stretched
3000mls)
• Ordered to build the Persepolis
• Ordered to built infrastructures including the canal in Egypt connecting the Nile river
and the red sea
• Persia “Royal Road” build the big networks of load, that allows to trade between
different cultures in the empire. Allowed for easy movement of soldiers
• Royal road = longest road in the empire, had stations along it travelers could get food,
water, and fresh horses
• Established a tax-collecting system
• Divided he empire into 20provinces called stratapies ruled by a satrap-governor
• Established a complex postal system and postal stations with postal relay riders
• Standardization of coins and laws
• Created a network of spies called “the king eyes and ears, to minimize rebellions
 Zoroastrianism
• Despite the overall policy of religious tolerance, there was still a dominant Persian religion: Zoroastrianism.

• Zoroastrianism, named after its prophet Zoroaster, taught that the world was being fought over by two great
powers: a god of goodness, honesty, and benevolence known as Ahura Mazda (meaning "Lord Wisdom") and
an evil spirit, Ahriman.
• Thus, humans had a major role to play in bringing about the final victory of Ahura Mazda through their
actions.

• Zoroaster claimed that Ahura Mazda was the primary god and would ultimately triumph in the battle against
evil, but explained the existence of evil in the world as a result ofthe struggle against Ahriman.

• Great kings believed that they were the earthly representatives of AhuraMazda, they claimed that the
expansion of the empire would bring the final triumph of good over evil sooner.
 THE PERSIAN
GOVERNMENT
• To help address issue, Darius undertook a series of major reforms.
• The Persians continued the Assyrian practice of building highways and setting up supply posts for their messengers.
• The state used several languages to communicate with its subjects, and the government sponsored a major effort to standardize a new,
simplified cuneiform alphabet.
• As described above, the key to Persian rule was the novel innovation of treating conquered people with a degree of leniency (in stark
contrast to the earlier methods of rule employed by the Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians).
• So long as they were loyal, paid taxes, and sent troops when called, the Persian kings had no problem with letting their subjects
practice their own religions, use their own languages, and carry on their own trading practices and customs.
• The Persian kings introduced a system of governance that allowed them to gather intelligence and maintain control over such a vast
area relatively successfully.
• The empire was divided into twenty satrapies (provinces), ruled by officials called satraps.
• In each satrapy, the satrap was the political governor, advised and supplemented by a military general who reported directly to the
king; in this way, the two most powerful leaders in each satrapy could keep an eye on each other.
 THE GRECO-
PERSIAN WARS
 The Ionians Revolt
(499 BCE - 494 BCE)

• The Ionians were Greeks who had settled in Asia minor which was
at this time under Persian rule when they revolted against the
persians athens and Eretria sent help to the ionians marking it as
the first major battle between the greeks and the Persians the
second would be the athenians and eretrian sack of the city of
Sardis in 499 bce also under persian rule at that point.
• In 498 BCE Ionians and Greek allies invade and burn Sardis
(capital of Lydia
• In 492 BCE, Persia's Darius I invades Greece.
The Battle of Marathon (490 BCE)

• The first major battle between the Persian and the Greeks
• This run was the inspiration for the modern day event known as
the marathon, once they had claimed victory the dead tired
Athenians were marched straight back to Athens to defend
against the Persians who were on route to claim the city when
the Persians saw the Athenians waiting at Athens they turned
and fled by the time the Spartans arrived the Athenians had
already claimed victory.
• The battle of marathon was a watershed moment for the Greeks
as they realized that the mighty Achemenid Persians could be
defeated the battle was then often depicted in later Greek art
literature and pottery.
Battles of Thermopylae and Artemisia (480 BCE)

• On 486 BCE, Darius the Great died and his son, Xerxes took
over the reign
• Sack of Athens by the Persians under Xerxes and the Agora is
destroyed. Persian forces attack the sanctuary of Delphi
and Persians also destroy the sanctuary at Sounion
•  Xerxes I constructs depots, canals, and a boat bridge over the
Hellespont in preparation for an invasion of mainland Greece.
• Thermopylae Battle. For three days, 300 Spartans under King
Leonidas and other Greek allies repel the Persians headed by
Xerxes I.
• Artemision's indecisive fight between Xerxes I's Greek and
Persian fleets. Greeks retreat to Salamis
The Battle of Salamis September 480 BCE

• Battle of Salamis, in which Themistocles' Greek naval navy defeats

Xerxes I of Persia's invading armada.
• Greece had the advantage of the great admiral for mysticales who had
20 years of experience and had fought at the naval battle of
Artemisian
• Persians into a trap using his smaller and more agile ships to effect
against the larger Persian warships and led the Greeks to a great
victory forcing the Persians to withdraw to Asia minor
The Battle of Plataea (479 BCE)

• After the Persians defeat at salamis xerxes returned home to his

palace at Susa but he still had control over much of Greece and had a
large land army intact in august of 479 BCE
• ersians and the Greeks met in battle one more time at the land battle
of plateau this battle pitted the largest Greek army yet assembled
around 110 000 men from 30 city-states against only slightly fewer
numbers of the army of the Persians
• ersians and the Greeks met in battle one more time at the land battle
of plateau this battle pitted the largest Greek army yet assembled
around 110 000 men from 30 city-states against only slightly fewer
numbers of the army of the Persians
The Aftermath of the Persian and Greek Wars

• Greece and Persia finally ended their conflict in the treaty

known as the peace of callus

• Greece flourished in its golden age contributing to the

foundation of western civilization as we know it through
philosophy literature politics religion art and the sciences
 Thank
you!

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by

Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics
& images by Freepik