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EnglandAncient History

Greek Period Study: Persia and Greece c560 to 479 BC

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why did Darius send an expedition against Greece in 490 BC, and how and why did the Athenians win at Marathon?

The first Persian invasion and the Battle of Marathon 490 BC: Darius's punitive expedition, the fall of Eretria, the Athenian decision to fight, the role of Miltiades, the tactics and outcome of the battle, and its significance for Athenian self-image.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the first Persian invasion and the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. Covers Darius's punitive expedition, the fall of Eretria, the Athenian decision to fight, the role of Miltiades, the hoplite tactics that won the battle, the part of Sparta and Plataea, and the battle's significance for Athens.
15 min answer →

How did the Greeks turn defeat into victory at Salamis, Plataea and Mycale, and why did the Persian invasion ultimately fail?

The decisive Greek victories of 480 to 479 BC: the naval battle of Salamis and the strategy of Themistocles, the land battle of Plataea under Pausanias, the battle of Mycale, and the reasons for the failure of the Persian invasion.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the decisive Greek victories of 480 to 479 BC. Covers the naval battle of Salamis and the strategy of Themistocles (the wooden walls oracle, the evacuation of Athens), the land battle of Plataea under Pausanias, the battle of Mycale, and the reasons the Persian invasion failed.
16 min answer →

Why did the Ionian Greeks revolt against Persia in 499 BC, why did the revolt fail, and why did it bring Persia and mainland Greece into conflict?

The Ionian Revolt 499 to 494 BC: its causes, the roles of Aristagoras and Histiaeus, Athenian and Eretrian involvement, the burning of Sardis, the Persian suppression and the sack of Miletus, and its significance for the outbreak of the Persian Wars.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the Ionian Revolt of 499 to 494 BC. Covers the causes of the revolt, the roles of Aristagoras and Histiaeus, Athenian and Eretrian help, the burning of Sardis, the Persian reconquest and sack of Miletus, and why Herodotus makes it the trigger of the wider Persian Wars.
15 min answer →

How did Darius organise and govern the vast Persian empire, and what do Persian sources add to Herodotus?

The organisation of the Persian empire under Darius I: the satrapy system, tribute, the royal road and communications, royal ideology, and the value of Persian evidence such as the Behistun inscription and Persepolis alongside Herodotus.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the organisation of the Persian empire under Darius I. Covers the satrapy system, tribute, the royal road, royal ideology and the imperial army, and weighs Persian evidence (the Behistun inscription, Persepolis reliefs, the Cyrus Cylinder) against Herodotus's Greek account.
16 min answer →

How did Persia rise from a minor kingdom to the largest empire the world had yet seen under Cyrus, Cambyses and Darius?

The rise and expansion of the Persian empire under Cyrus the Great (the conquest of Media, Lydia and Babylon), Cambyses (the conquest of Egypt) and the accession of Darius I, studied chiefly through Herodotus.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the rise of the Persian empire under Cyrus the Great, Cambyses and Darius I. Covers the conquest of Media, Lydia and Babylon, Cambyses in Egypt, the disputed accession of Darius, and how to read and evaluate Herodotus as the main source for the founding of the empire.
16 min answer →

How did Xerxes prepare his great invasion of 480 BC, and what was the significance of the holding actions at Thermopylae and Artemisium?

Xerxes's invasion of 480 BC: the scale of the preparations, the Hellespont bridges and Athos canal, the Greek alliance and strategy, the battle of Thermopylae and the death of Leonidas, and the simultaneous naval action at Artemisium.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to Xerxes's invasion of Greece in 480 BC. Covers the scale of the Persian preparations, the Hellespont bridges and Athos canal, the Hellenic League and its strategy, the battle of Thermopylae and the death of Leonidas and the 300 Spartans, and the simultaneous naval holding action at Artemisium.
16 min answer →