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Today in class we continued watching the video. The Athenians had to defend their state from the Persians. In 490 BC 18 years after the founding of democracy Pheidippides ran 140 miles in two days from Athens to Sparta. He was running not for glory but to ask help from Sparta for Athens. When he reached Sparta help was refused. At this time the Persians were the main empire of the world. Darius was the Persian King at the time. There were many differences between the Persians and the Greeks. The Persians emphasized obedience and the Greeks emphasized freedom. when the Persians came to conquer Athens they landed in the city state, Marathon. It was 26.2 miles form Athens. Athens didn't have a standing army so every man had to stand up and fight for Athens. Athens were outnumbered 2/1. In the war Athens slaughtered over 6,000 Persians in one day and won the war. Themistocles was an Athenian general that fought in marathon and had risen to power through democracy. He wanted to build tririem ships and a strong navy next time to be safe from the Persians, but it is expansive. In 483 BC the Athenians discovered silver in their area and he wanted to spend the money on 200 ships. The people wanted to divide it with everyone, but Themistocles convinced them that they needed the ships to defend themselves against the other city states.  In 486 BC Darius died and his son, Xerxes, took power of the Persian empire and wanted to avenge his fathers defeat.He took troops form every corner of the Persian empire. In 480 BC news reached Athens that the Persian empire was coming for Greece. The Greeks went to the oracle to see what the gods would say. The oracle is were you go if you have a question and you got an answer form the god, Apollo. when a negative message came back the people went into panic. The second time they asked the oracle said the wooden wall will save you. Themistocles thought this meant the ships so he ordered an evacuation of Athens. The woman and children went to the neighboring city state of Troy. The men went to the ships.  When the Persians  came  into Athens they burned the Acropolis and the temples.The Strait of Salamis is were the Greeks wanted to fight. The Greeks sent one of their leaders to act as a traitor an dsay go fight the Greeks now why they are week. The Persians fell for it and headed into the Strait of Salamis. In the end of the battle the Greeks won and the Persians lost 200 boats. Then Athens became a very powerful empire. They became a dominant power in the meditteranean sea. They formed a group called the  Delian States.