Big Era Four: Closeup Unit 4.4.2


		Complete Teaching Unit in PDF format

Pressured by Persia: The Persian Empire
550 BCE - 479 BCE

Why This Unit?

The founding of the Persian empire began with the fall of the Babylonian empire. Cyrus the Great founded the Persian state after his conquest of Babylon. During the following years under emperors Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, Persia steadily expanded in both Southwest Asia and Egypt. Persia’s expansion influenced various societies of Afroeurasia , such as the Jews, Greeks, and northern Africans. In teaching this unit, teachers will be able to actively engage students in the story of Persia’s development, while also deepening their knowledge of Athens, Sparta, and the Persian Wars. Students will also learn about the influence of women in Persian politics.

Unit Objectives

Upon completing this unit, students will be able to:

1. Outline the founding, expansion, and organization of ancient Persia.

2. Analyze the battle strategies of Persia and Greece during the Second Persian War.

3. Explain the events of the Second Persian War.

4. Compare and contrast the military strategies of Athens and Sparta during the war.

5. Evaluate the roles of Persia, Athens, and Sparta in the war.

6. Analyze the interaction of the Persians with other societies in the ancient world.

Time and Materials

This unit will require approximately five class periods of fifty-five minutes each.

Teachers will need to assemble 11 x 17-inch white construction paper, color pencils, pencils, and sheets of white 8 ½ x 11-inch paper.

Table of Contents

Why this unit?	2
Time and materials	2
Unit objectives	2
Author	2
The historical context	3
This unit in the Big Era timeline	5
Lesson 1: The Persian Press	6
Lesson 2: The Second Persian War: A Series of Plays	12
Lesson 3: Geography of the Persian Wars	32
Lesson 4: Women of the Persian Empire	37
Assessment	47
This unit and the Three Essential Questions	48
This unit and the Seven Key Themes	48
This unit and the Standards in Historical Thinking	48
Resources	49
Correlations to National and State Standards	50
Conceptual links to other teaching units	51
Complete Teaching Unit in PDF Format

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