Notes on Persian War

1. Herodotus is the first serious historian in Western Civ. He is the "grandfather" of history writing. The big story he writes is the one about Greece and Persia.
2. The Persian Empire was the largest in the world around 6th century BC.
3. Once the Persian start eating up the cities along the coast, they decide to invade Greece. The invasion is led by Xerxes. They have a fleet that starts attacking.
4. Greece is spilt into provinces that go back to ancient times.
5. The Persian plan is to destroy the city of Athens.
6. The Battle of Thermoplae was led by Sparta.
7. Sparta was led by a code of military honor. Children were trained to be warriors from a young age.
8. Lyscurgus was the first of the Spartan leaders to create a system of laws.
9. By 650 BC Sparta was the dominant military power in the region. Sparta and Athens developed a style of warfare
10. Phalanx formation - they would line up in lines and march as a square
11. Women were more likely to die in childbirth then men in battle..20% to 15%.
12. The Spartans and Greek allies hold off the Persian for 3 days. Every single Greek died at Thermopalae.
13. The Battle of Samalis..where the population of Athens evacuated. If the Greeks do not win the war, we do not have Western Civ.
14. 480 BC - Persian War somes to a close and Greeks win.
15. Over a quarter of the people in Greece live in Athens. (125 million people
16. Theatre started in honor of the Gods.
17. In the Ancient world, whoever has the biggest navy is the superior in the military force.