Difference between revisions of "Greco-Persian Wars"
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===Thermopylae=== | ===Thermopylae=== | ||
By 481 [[BC]], A large Persian force (described as 5 million by [[Herodotus]], though this is wildly improbable) had been assembled to march along the northern coast of the Aegean into Greece. This was disturbing to the Greek city states, who convened at the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] to discuss the threat caused by the Persians. | By 481 [[BC]], A large Persian force (described as 5 million by [[Herodotus]], though this is wildly improbable) had been assembled to march along the northern coast of the Aegean into Greece. This was disturbing to the Greek city states, who convened at the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] to discuss the threat caused by the Persians. | ||
| − | ''Under Construction'' | + | ''Under Construction''[[The Battle of Thermopylae]] |
Revision as of 19:55, March 15, 2007
The Greco-Persian Wars, also known as the Medic Wars (500 BC-448 BC) were a series of conflicts fought between the Zoroastrian Achaemenid Empire (in modern Iran, led by Xerxes) and the Greek city-states (most notably Athens and Sparta). The war may be best known for the Battle of Thermopylae, which has given birth to many cultural references even to this day.
History
Roots
The roots of the Greco-Persian Wars lie in 545 BC, when the Achaemenid Empire conquered and annexed Ionia. While none of the Greek city-states risked sending military units to defend Ionia, the Spartans did send a message to king Cyrus the Great, warning him to stay away from mainland Greece. Upon hearing this message, Cyrus famously replied "Who are the Spartans?".
Cyrus did not heed the Spartan message. In 514 BC, the Persians conquered Thrace and Macedonia, angering the Greeks. Ionia had been seen by Cyrus as a logical expansion of the Achaemenid Empire, though Ionia was culturally and tradionally connected to the other Greek-speaking lands around the Aegean Sea.
Eretria and Marathon
By now, Darius I had taken control of Persia. In 499 BC, Ionia begins to rebel against Persian rule. As the Ionians and Persians fought, Athens covertly sent supplies to Ionia. The revolts were put down by 493 BC, and Cyrus set his sights on Athens. A Persian amphibious force of nearly 600 ships sailed towards Eretria, easily sacking the city. The force then crossed to the mainland at Marathon, a large, flat plain just north of Athens.
At Marathon, one of the largest battles in Classical Antiquity took place. Nearly 11,000 Athenians held their own against some 20,000 Persians. After the victory, a Greek soldier by the name of Pheidippides ran nonstop from Marathon to Athens, to announce the miraculous victory (only 200 Greeks died in the entire battle). This was the inspiration for the marathon race.
Thermopylae
By 481 BC, A large Persian force (described as 5 million by Herodotus, though this is wildly improbable) had been assembled to march along the northern coast of the Aegean into Greece. This was disturbing to the Greek city states, who convened at the Isthmus of Corinth to discuss the threat caused by the Persians. Under ConstructionThe Battle of Thermopylae