The Persian Wars

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The Persian Wars
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Darius and Xerxes
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Ionian Revolt

• 499 A number of Ionian polies revolt
• 498 Sardis burned by Ionians with Athenian
  support
• 494 Miletus (center of revolt) destroyed

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Darius Campaign against Greece

• Crossing the Aegean
• Battle of Marathon (490 BCE)

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Persian and Athenian Warriors
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Battle of Marathon
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Xerxes

• Succeeded his father Darius in 486
• Prepared for invasion of Greece
• Meanwhile in Greece
• Athens under the leadership of Themistocles
  invested in 200 new triremes
• Formation of Hellenic League (481) to resist
  Persia

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Xerxes Invasion (480 BCE)
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Thermopylae
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Sack of Athens (Fall 480)

• Athenians evacuated city
• Temples burned
• Spartans wish to abandon north Greece and defend
  at isthmus
• Themistocles threatens to take Athens 200
  triremes and leave for Italy
• Compromise Defend at Salamis

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Salamis (479)

• 34 Greek Polises vs. the Persian Navy
• A trick, attributed to Themistocles drew the
  larger Persian fleet into the narrows of Salamis

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The Greek Trireme

• Trireme Three tiers of oars.
• Bronze ram at bow for ramming
• Marines could fight from decks

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The Persian Withdrawal

• Xerxes returned to Ionia
• Mardonius, his general, remained in Boeotia.
  Reoccupies Attica in 479
• Athenians again persuade Peloponnesians to fight,
  at Plataea (479)
• August 479, Persian fleet caught beached at
  Mycale and burned

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Part II. The Delian League
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Delian Confederacy (formed 479)

• Defensive alliance vs. Persia
• 140 Member States.
• Athenian leadership
• Treasury at Delos
• Contributions of ships rowers, or money

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Early Confederacy Campaigns

• Eion in Macedonia captured (476) (silver mines).
• Persians enslaved, Athenian colonists settle
• Pirates of Scyros (475)

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Then

• Carystos in Euboea refused to join Confederacy.
• Under Athenian leadership, Carystos was
  captured(470-69)
• Forced to pay tribute to Confederacy

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What is Happening? .

• Naxos left the Confederacy.
• Athenians besieged Naxos (467-6)
• Naxos surrendered ships and paid money to
  Confederacy instead of contributing ships

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Then

• Thasos attempted to leave the Confederacy
• Besieged for 3 years (465-463)
• Walls torn down, Athenian style democracy
  established, Athenian garrison
• Thasian mint closed

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Remember, All this happened just as Athens
government was getting more democratic
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From Delian Confederacy to Athenian Empire

• 457 Long walls completed from Athens to Peiraeus
• 454 The treasury of the Delian Confederacy is
  moved from Delos to Athens
• 453 Athens takes 1/60 of the tribute as an
  offering to Athena. First list of offerings
  inscribed on stone in Athens