CLAS1005 10-20-08 greece and persia - 2 0 OCTOBER 2008...

20 OCTOBER 2008
GREECE AND PERSIA
Summary
 Persia and the Persians down to the Persian Wars (490 & 480-79 BCE).
 Causes of the Persian Wars.
 The conduct of the Persian Wars.
 Consequences of the Persian Wars
o Conflict between Greece and Persia most significant of western world
o Contributed to rise of economic, military, cultural power of Athens
o Direct line between Persian Wars and Peloponnesian Wars (Athens vs. Sparta)
o Created ideological division between east and west we still have
o Series of battles formative in shaping Pan-Hellenic culture
 Sources on the Persian Wars: Herodotus of Halicarnassus
o First historian, “father of history”
 Closest chronology to events, developed nation that past had to be interpreted
and contextualized, based on facts
o His reflections and characterization of the eastern world shape how it is viewed
throughout history to the present
o Lots of dates
Who are the Persians?
 The Persians were an Indo-European speaking people from South-Western Iran
o Indo-European: group of related languages; all probably came from one parent language
that evolved as people spread out
 Were the first people to est. a somewhat “global” empire
o Multicultural, multinational
 Ruled over a massive multi-cultural empire from 559 – 330 BCE (Achaemenids)
o Overthrown by Alexander the Great
o Empire increased and bumped into Greek polis (i.e. Asia Minor)
 Major impact of both the West and the East (i.e. Persian Wars; Hellenistic World)
o Hellenistic- “Greek-like”
o Alexander the Great took over Persian Empire, which spread Greek culture
 Problem with biased sources
The Expansion of Persia
 Cyrus the Great, became ruler of the Persians in 557 BCE
 550 BCE – Cyrus overthrows Astayages, king of the Medes
o Persia a province in kingdom of Medes
 549 BCE – Unites Persians and Medes into one kingdom – forges a multicultural empire
o Goes on spree to conquer places and create empire
 546 BCE – Cyrus captures Lydia
 540 BCE – Captured all mainland Greek cities of Asia Minor
 538 BCE – Cyrus captures Babylon

 529 BCE – Cyrus dies and is succeeded by his son Cambyses II
 Cambyses rules Persian Empire until 522 BCE – Conquers Egypt in 525 BCE
o Indus river to Egypt, Russia to ocean
 Succeeded by Darius I (522 BCE – 486 BCE)
o Seizes power through a coup after Cambyses dies
 Darius adds Thrace and Macedon to Persian control
o Modern Macedonia, Croatia
The Persian Empire
Organization of the Persian Empire
 Empire ruled by kings (Achaemenids)
 Empire divided into Satrapies (i.e. territorial province; mini kingdoms)
 Each Satrapy is governed by Satraps (mini kings)
o Had the responsibilities as king
 Taxes and tribute, money for standing army, infrastructure
 Satraps are close relations to the king
o Because Satrap could be threat to the king
 The Great King is the master of all – the King alone is free
o All things belong to the king
o Gives land for services and can take it away
