The Battle of the Rmopylae: the Last Stand of the 300

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The Battle of Thermopylae: The Last Stand of the 300

1. Who was the King of Persia? What was the span of the Persian Empire?

2. What was the Persian goal?

3. Why was Thermopylae a good location for the Greeks?

4. Was Greece a unified country at this time?

5. Who was the army leader, who was chosen by Greeks to lead the army?

6. Who was Themistocles?

7. Who was the first to attack?

8. What happened when a Spartan child was born?

9. How does a Spartan get his/her name on their tombstone?

10. How old is a Spartan boy when he leaves his home?

11. What is the final test of a warrior’s training? What is the goal of this act?

12. What are Spartan women known for? 13. Which Greek state asked the Spartans for help to defeat the Persians?

14. Who did the Spartans consult before engaging in war?

15. Which king began the use of cavalry in the Persian army?

16. What happens to the city of Ionia?

17. Who vowed vengeance against those who assisted the Ionians (which was Athens)?

18. Ten years before Thermopylae, in which battle did the Greeks and the Persians meet? Who won this battle?

19. How many miles did the messenger run to inform the people of Athens of the outcome of the battle? What happened to the messenger?

20. How did Xerxes get his troops across the Hellespont (the small river)?

21. What did Leonidas’ army consist of?

22. What was the Spartan response to Xerxes’ messenger when he said, “Be prepared to die, our arrows will block out the sun”?

23. What is phalanx? 24. How many archers launched arrows against the Greeks? How many Persians charged the Greeks?

25. What was the name of the Greek spear?

26. Did the Persians wear full armor? Who had the advantage with armor?

27. Why did Themistocles decide to attack in the late afternoon?

28. What did Themistocles have to convince other Greeks to do?

29. What type of wood were triremes made of?

30. How many ores men manned the triremes?

31. How were naval battles won during this time period?

32. Who won Day 1 of the naval battle and land battle?

33. What happened to the 200 Persian ships that were off the coast of Euboea?

34. What types of soldiers did Xerxes send in on Day 2? How did these soldiers get their names?

35. What were Persian shields made of? 36. By the end of Day 2, who was winning battle?

37. Was Leonidas aware of what Xerxes was doing? What did Leonidas do as a result?

38. Was King Leonidas’ plan a success?

39. Why were the Spartans bathing and combing their hair before battle?

40. What happened when the Greeks were attacked from the front and the back?

41. How many men did Xerxes lose?

42. What happened to Leonidas’ head?

43. Did any of the 300 Spartans survive?

44. What happened to the Greek Naval defensive?

45. Did Xerxes burn Athens? Why did some people die?

46. At what strait did the Greek and Persian navies meet again?

47. Who won the battle? 48. What happened to Xerxes and his army?

49. How did the Greeks respond to Xerxes’ actions?

50. What Greek man ultimately destroyed the Persians?