Located in Asia Minor.  The Ioanians considered the non-Greek speaking Persians to be barbarians.  Cyrus II conquered the Greek city-states of Ionia. 

King of Persia who defeated the Ionians.

How did the Greeks beat the Persians at the Battle of Marathon?

The Athenian general ordered his foot soldiers to charge down the hill at the Persians.  The Persians were unprepared for this because they did not think the Greek infantrymen would fight without the support of horsemen and archers; Persians were caught off guard. 

Darius's son and successor.  He invaded the Greeks from the north and brought supply ships for the Persians.

The Athenian general who knew that the Greeks could defeat the Persians at sea by making a "wooden wall" of their boats at Salamis.

A mountain pass north of Athens where 7,000 Greeks led by King Leonidas of Sparta stood firm against the Persians for 3 days.

King of Sparta spared many of his troops by telling them to leave the battle at Thermopylae vs. the Persians, but he and 300 fellow Spartans never surrendered on the battlefield and fought until their death.

The heroic stand of Leonidas and the Spartans gave Themistocles time to carry out his plan.  He purposely drew the Persians into the narrow strait of Salamis where he knew the heavy Persian ships would crowd together and make easy targets for the lighter and more maneuverable Greek ships.  The plan worked, and the outnumbered Greek ships beat the huge Persian fleet.

A narrow body of water between Athens and the island of Salamis.

An Athenian general who led Athens to its Golden Age.

Pericles was determined to rebuild the city of Athens after it had been burned by the Persians.  He built beautiful temples and palaces that made Athens the prettiest city in Greece.  His most famous building is the Parthenon. 

Homes were simple with 2 main rooms (the dining room and wool room).  Smaller rooms were built around a central courtyard.  The dining room was where men entertained their guests and lounged.  The wool room was where women spun and wove cloth.  The courtyard had an altar, a washbasin, and a well; sometimes chicken and goats.

Where men discussed literature, philosophy, and public issues.  A drinking session followed by a banquet; only men were allowed to attend.

Athenian men usually worked in the morning as farmers, artisans, and merchants.  In the afternoons, they attended the Assembly and exercised in the gymnasium. Slaves did heavy work in craft production, mining; some were teachers and servants.  Upper-class men attended the symposium. 

Most women stayed at home cooking and making wool cloth.  Many women did participate in festivals and learned to read and write.  Greater freedom was given to women of the metic class.  Aspasia is an example of a metic woman who gave women advice on the home and pushed for greater female freedoms.

Pericles insisted that all criminal cases be tried in Athens.  All city-states adopted the Athenian coinage system.  Athens trade and political influence grew.  Many people were opposed to Athens power like Sparta.

Sparta was fearful and jealous of Athens' power.  The war against Athens was called the Peloponnesian War.  Athens had a huge military, and Sparta did not have a navy.  Sparta made a deal with Persia in order to build its own fleet.  One third of Athenians died from a plague which weakened its power.  Sparta eventually won against Athens.

War brought disaster to the city-states.  Populations declined.  Fighting destroyed land.  Unemployment was wide spread; many men left the country and joined the Persian army.  Greeks lost the ability to govern themselves.  They forgot about the good of the polis and became greedy over money.  There was a great divide between the common people and the aristrocratic classes.