The Greco-Persian Wars

Peloponnesian War

(431-404 BCE) The war between Athens and Sparta that in which Sparta won, but left Greece as a whole weak and ready to fall to its neighbors to the north.

Battle of Thermopylae

(480 B.C.E.) Battle in which Spartan king Leonidas and his army of 300 Spartans and other Greeks refused to surrender to the numerically superior Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae; they were annihilated but allowed the other Greek forces to prepare for the Persian invasion.

Aristagoras of Miletus

(c.505-496 BC) Powerful figure in the Ionian city of Miletus who played a leading part in organizing a revolt of the Ionian cities against their Persian overlords after fearing losing his political power for failing to conquer Naxos. It failed, and he died while fighting in Thrace

Greek Counterattack

479-478 B.C., the revenge of the Greeks in Asia minor. Ended when they took Byzantium.

Salamis

480 BC, Battle location in the Persian Wars where Persian ships were too large to maneuver and were defeated by the Athenian navy.

First Persian War

492-490 B.C., Emperor Darius the Great sent fleet across Aegean sea to punish Athens and Eritrea for aiding the Ionian Revolt

Ionian Revolt

499-493, Ionian cities revolted against Persian Rule in Asia Minor, aided by Athens and Eritrea who sent them 20 ships.

Themistocles

A Greek military leader who convinced the Athenians to build a navy. This helped Athens win a major battle against Persia, the Battle of Salamis. He was ostracized around 471 BCE.

Troezen

A town in Peloponnesus where the Athenians evacuate to while the Persians burn their town after the loss of Thermopylae opened Attica to invasion

Delian League

Alliance between Athens and many of its allied cities following the first attempted invasion of Perisa into Greece. Caused a lot of wealth to flow into Athens and thus contributed to the Athenian "golden age."

Ionia

Area along the central west coast of Asia Minor colonized by settlers from mainland Greece from about 1000 BC. Ionian Greeks, including Homer, played a central role in the early development of Greek history and literature following the Dark Ages.

Median Kingdom

Area of conflict for Persia which prompted Croesus to attack Cyrus the Great, who then took over Lydia.

Pericles

Athenian leader noted for advancing democracy in Athens and for ordering the construction of the Parthenon. Moved the Delian League to Athens in 454 B.C.

Myclae

Battle simultaneous to Salamis in Asia Minor that started the Greek counterattack of Persia and launched the second Ionian revolt

Sardis

Capital of the ancient civilization of Lydia and later the regional capitol of the Persian Empire in Asia Minor. Burnt to the ground by Ionian rebels during their revolt.

Thrace and Macedonia

First city-states taken and subjugated by the Persians in the Greco-Persian wars.

Miletus

Greek/Ionian settlement on outskirts of Persian empire; beginning site of revolts (499) and Athenian aid (498); Persian reconquer and begin Persian war in 494

Delios

Island where the Delian league first met, blessed by the gods

Croesus

King of Lydia who in 560 B.C., conquered the rest of the greek city-states

Battle of Platea (479 BC)

Land battle near Attica that drove the Persians out of Greece for good

Hellenic Alliance

Met at Corinth in 481 B.C. to discuss strategy on how and where to stop the Persian army. They eventually decide on Thermopoyle instead of the Vale of Tempe.

Eritrea

One of the city-states who aided the Ionians and despite surrendering when Darius sent ahead embassies for surrender in advance, they were all killed or enslaved by the Persians, which terrified the Athenians

Greek Dark Ages

Period from 1100 to 776 BCE in which Greeks lost the culture developed during the Mycenaean Bronze Age civilization.

Persia and Ionia

Persia asked Ionia to rebel against Lydia and when they refused, Persia took them over.

Darius the Great

Persian king that took over Ionia and defeated the Greek rebels; vowed to destroy Athens and Eritrea for aided the Ionian rebels

Asia Minor

Place some of the Greeks emigrated to following the collapse of Mycenea

Isthmus of Corinth

Place where the rest of the city-states evacuate to while the Spartans defend Thermopylae

Laurium

Silver mines that were used to build Athenian navy

Marathon

Site of the famous battle fought between the armies of Persia and the outnumbered Athenians. Athens was victorious and a messenger was sent to run the 26.2 miles back to the city with the news.

Mardonius

Son in law of Darius the Great who led the first campaign of the First Persian War in 492 B.C.

Xerxes

Son of Darius who became king in 486 B.C. after Darius died marching to put down the rebellion in Egypt. He took up the mantle of destroying Greece from his father.

Lysander

Spartan general who defeated the Athenians in the final battle of the Peloponnesian War

Lydia

Trading kingdom in northwestern Anatolia that invented coinage. They later conquered the Greeks of Ionia

Ephialtes

Traitor that showed the Persians the goat path that led to the Greeks' defeat at Thermopylae. Was later killed by Xerxes who poured his weight in molten gold down his throat.

Pheidippides

Young runner who ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver the message of the Persian defeat. He died shortly after.

Athens and Persia

in 507 B.C., the Satrap of Persia in Sardis received an ambassador from Athens asking for help against the Spartans. The Persians agreed only if the Athenians would pledge earth and water, and accept a tyrant named Hippias.

Cyrus the Great

king of Persia and founder of the Persian empire (circa 600-529 BC)

Leonidas

king of Sparta and hero of the battle of Thermopylae where he was killed by the Persians (died in 480 BC)

Oracle of Delphi

person representing the god Apollo; received cryptic messages from the god that had predictive value if the seeker could correctly interpret the communication. Croesus asked the Oracle if he should attack Persia before he did.