The wars between Greece and Persia
I can describe some of the famous battles between the Greeks and the Persians.
The wars between Greece and Persia
I can describe some of the famous battles between the Greeks and the Persians.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
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.
To help you plan your year 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 year 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.
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Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
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