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Period: 499 BCE to 449 BCE
The Persian Wars
The Persian empire was frustrated and wanted revenge after the Athenians helped one of their colonies rebel. Darius declared war against Athens. There were three major battles. The battle of marathon was won by the Greeks with a phalanx formation in the city-state Marathon. At the battle of Thermopylae 300 Spartans defended the mountain but lost.The last battle was a sea battle where the Greeks sunk 1/3 of the Persian fleet, winning the war. The war caused the Delian League to be created. -
Period: 479 BCE to 431 BCE
Golden Age of Athens
After the Persian Wars, Athens became the leader of the Delian league. Because of this, Athens became very wealthy, entering into the Golden Age of Athens. Pericles was the leader during this time and he made it a point to beautify Athens, creating things such as the Parthenon. Athens also created classical art which portrayed people as young, beautiful, and often nude. This was an important era for Athens because much of Athenian culture was developed during this time. -
Period: 431 BCE to 404 BCE
Peloponnesian War
Athens was becoming too powerful as the leader of the Delian League. To counter the Delian League, Sparta creates the Peloponnesian League. Pericles orders all of his citizens behind the city walls of Athens to protect them. However, a plague spreads and 1/3 of the population dies, as well as Pericles. Sparta then defeats Athens and wins the war. Both the city-states were weak from the war so Phillip the lll easily conquers all of Greece. -
323 BCE
Alexander the Great Dies
Alexanders empire combined the cultures of 4 empires after his death. The empires of Greece, Persia, Egypt, and India's cultures were combined and that created Hellenistic culture. Alexandria, Egypt was a prime example of Hellenistic culture. The city was known as the city of knowledge. It had museums with galleries as well as zoos and gardens. There was also a huge library with half a million scrolls.