The wars between Greece and Persia
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe some of the famous battles between the Greeks and the Persians.
Key learning points
- The first major battle between the Greek city-states and Persia was at Marathon.
- The Persian army fought its way onto the beach before being repulsed; a runner was sent to declare victory in Athens.
- The new Persian king Xerxes attacked Greece by land, taking days to defeat a small band of Greeks at Thermopylae.
- The Persians then captured Athens, destroying the temple atop the acropolis before the sea-battle of Salamis.
- At Salamis, the Persians were defeated, preventing Persia from conquering Greece.
Keywords
Conquer - in warfare, to conquer something such as a place or people is to defeat them in battle, and then take over them
Runner - in this lesson, a runner is a messenger who carries messages by running between places
Acropolis - the fortified hill of an ancient Greek city was called an acropolis
Sea-battle - when boats are used to attack an enemy during a war, this is a sea-battle
Common misconception
That battles are always fought on land, by soldiers or warriors who are physically fighting each other.
Battles can be fought many ways - some Ancient Greek battles were land based and warriors used chariots and weapons like javelins. Other battles were at sea using boats that would be rammed into the enemy and archers that would fire arrows at them.
Teacher tip
The story of the runner going to Athens from Marathon is the origins of the marathon event at the Olympic Games, and many other marathons held all around the world. Pupils could do some research about marathon runners such as finding out the fastest and slowest times ever taken to complete one.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which statements are accurate descriptions about Ancient Mesopotamia?
Q2.Who was the king of the Persian Achaemenids who conquered the kingdom of Medes and the city of Babylon?
Q3.What territory did Cyrus' son, Cambyses, take control of?
Q4.Order the events, starting with the earliest.
Q5.Where did King Darius take control of in around 490 BCE?
Q6.Complete the sentence. Darius wanted to expand his territory further and conquer the city-states of Ancient and rule over them.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where did the first major battle of the war between Greece and Persia happen?
Q2.Which statements about the battle at Marathon are correct?
Q3.Choose the correct historical term to complete this sentence: In warfare, to __________ something such as a place or people is to defeat them in battle, and then take over them.
Q4.Which statements about the Battle of Thermopylae and king Xerxes are historically accurate?
Q5.What did the Persians burn to the ground when they ransacked Athens?
Q6.Which statements about the Battle of Salamis are correct?
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: The wars between Greece and Persia, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: The wars between Greece and Persia, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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