Naval battles After the Battle of Thermopylae, the Greek þeet fought three battles against the larger Persian þeet at Artemisium, 60 km away. Both sides lost many ships, but the Persians were weakened. When the Persian þeet reached Attica, Athens was evacuated and burned. The Greek navy then attacked the Persians at Salamis, where the narrow sea helped them win completely.
SkillBuilder discussion Communicating 1. Identify the types of weapons and armour that the Greek and Persian soldiers used during the Battle of Thermopylae. 2. Discuss how the terrain of Thermopylae would have inþuenced the tactics and outcome of the battle.
SOURCE3 A modern artist’s impression of Greek and Persian infantry at Thermopylae in 480 BCE
3. Can you identify any
differences in the ýghting styles and strategies of the Greek and Persian armies?
The ýnal clashes In 479 BCE, the Spartans led a Greek army of about 100 000 and defeated a much larger Persian force at Plataea. The Greek þeet then sailed to Samos and defeated the Persians at Cape Mycale. Although ýghting continued, the Greeks no longer feared a Persian invasion.
SOURCE4 From the description of the Battle of Thermopylae in Herodotus, The Histories , Book VII, 227
Of all the Spartans and Thespians who fought so valiantly, the most signal proof of courage was given by the Spartan Dieneces. It is said that before the battle he was told by a native of Trachis that, when the Persians shot their arrows, there were so many of them that they hid the sun. Dieneces, however, quite unmoved by the thought of the strength of the Persian army, merely remarked: ‘This is pleasant news that the stranger from Trachis brings us: if the Persians hide the sun, we shall have our battle in the shade.’
4.10.3
Alexander the Great
The Peloponnesian Wars The Greeks worked together for a while, but this didn’t last. During the Peloponnesian Wars (460–445 BCE and 431–404 BCE), Greece split into two sides: one led by Athens and the other by Sparta. The second war ended when Sparta, with help from Persia, made Athens surrender. After this, Sparta controlled Greece until Thebes defeated Sparta in 371 BCE.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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