The Greeks of Asia Minor
271. The Old Wars of the Greeks.The once greatest enemies of the Greeks were the Persians, living in western Asia. The Persians conquered Asia Minor. Here on its coast the Greeks had planted many cities, and they naturally sent ships and soldiers to aid their kinsmen.
AN ATHENIAN WAR GALLEY
AN ATHENIAN WAR GALLEY
AN ATHENIAN WAR GALLEY
The battle of Marathon
The king of the Persians, Darius by name, whom we read about in the Bible, sailed with a great army across the sea to Greece. One hundred thousand Persians met ten thousand Greeks on the battlefield of Marathon. The Greeks won.
The old folks and children among the Greeks waited for the news with breathless anxiety. The minutes grew into hours. At last they saw a runner coming. He was covered with dust. He had been on the battlefield and was running to tell the waiting people of the great victory. He dropped dead as he called out, "Victory!" He had run twenty-four miles!
Both Europe and America have celebrated the victory at Marathon by naming one of their races in the great Olympic contest the Marathon race.
Xerxes' forces
Again, a new king, Xerxes, who reigned over Persia, decided to overthrow Greece. He gathered a vast host from forty-six tributary states. He also gathered a fleet greater than any Greece had.
THE PERSIAN KING FLEEING IN THE BATTLE OF ISSUS
THE PERSIAN KING FLEEING IN THE BATTLE OF ISSUS
THE PERSIAN KING FLEEING IN THE BATTLE OF ISSUS
The city of Sparta gave three hundred brave soldiers. Their leader was Leonidas. The Persian army had to march along the narrow pass of Thermopylae that ran between high mountains and the sea. Here stood the brave Spartans. For two days Leonidas held the pass. Through a mountain road the Persians gained the rear of the Spartan army. But the Spartans did not retreat. Every Spartan fell fighting for his country. A noble example!
The battle of Salamis
The Greek warships met the Persians in the Bay of Salamis and overthrew them completely. Xerxes took his army and hastened back to Persia. Asia might be ruled by tyrants but the Greeks were bound to be free.
272. How Alexander Spread Greek Ideas.But these wonderful deeds were not all the Greeks were to do. We have seen Alexander come to the head of the Greek Empire. He had a wonderful army and resolved to teach the Persians a lesson or two as well as to spread Greek ideas.
The march of the Greeks
Alexander's army was not large, but it was the best trained in the world. Think of the Macedonian phalanx! All the cities of Persia fell into his hands. Before he was thirty years old, southwestern Asia and Egypt recognized his rule. Alexandria, situated at the mouth of the Nile River, was founded by him. It became a center of Greek ideas and boasted the largest library in the Old World.
273. Why Alexander Failed.Alexander's army made its way to India. But its great general, now only thirty-two, was drunk with power. He even permitted the people he conquered to worship him as a god. He loved the wine-cup too well and was stricken with a fever and died.
There was no one to take his place, but much that was finest and best in Greek life remained to the world.
The Leading Facts.1.Greece, a land of hills, mountains, plains, bays, and gulfs.2.Greeks traded and planted colonies.3.The deeds of Greek heroes.4.The great men of the newer Greece.5.The reason why the Persians attacked the Greeks.6.Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis.7.Alexander the Great, his father, his education, his army, and his victories.8.Spread of Greek ideas.Study Questions.1.See map for the boundaries of "Greater Greece."2.Name heroes among the ancient Greeks. Do you know of any others?3.What was their favorite story?4.What was the cause of the Trojan War?5.Who was Helen and for what was she famous?6.Who was Socrates? Plato? Aristotle?7.How is Aristotle connected with Columbus?8.Who were the Persians?9.Why did they attack the Greeks?10.Name the great battles.11.How was Alexander able to beat the Persians in their own land?12.How did Alexander benefit the world in what he did?Suggested Readings.Guerber.The Story of the Greeks; Hall,Life in Ancient Greece,II, 166; Harding,Stories of Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men; Tappan,The Story of the Greek People; Yonge,Young Folks' History of Greece; Mace-Tanner,Old Europe and Young America, 24-73; Hall,Four Old Greeks.
The Leading Facts.1.Greece, a land of hills, mountains, plains, bays, and gulfs.2.Greeks traded and planted colonies.3.The deeds of Greek heroes.4.The great men of the newer Greece.5.The reason why the Persians attacked the Greeks.6.Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis.7.Alexander the Great, his father, his education, his army, and his victories.8.Spread of Greek ideas.
Study Questions.1.See map for the boundaries of "Greater Greece."2.Name heroes among the ancient Greeks. Do you know of any others?3.What was their favorite story?4.What was the cause of the Trojan War?5.Who was Helen and for what was she famous?6.Who was Socrates? Plato? Aristotle?7.How is Aristotle connected with Columbus?8.Who were the Persians?9.Why did they attack the Greeks?10.Name the great battles.11.How was Alexander able to beat the Persians in their own land?12.How did Alexander benefit the world in what he did?
Suggested Readings.Guerber.The Story of the Greeks; Hall,Life in Ancient Greece,II, 166; Harding,Stories of Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men; Tappan,The Story of the Greek People; Yonge,Young Folks' History of Greece; Mace-Tanner,Old Europe and Young America, 24-73; Hall,Four Old Greeks.