How Did The Persian Wars Influence Greek Culture

The Persian Wars was also one of the most important events in Western Civilization because it allowed the Greeks to become dominate and their culture spread throughout the known world. The Greeks victory of the Persian Wars also puts a stop to the Persians. The Persian Wars started when Athens aided the Ionian slave revolts in the Asian Minor and ended with the Spartans victory at the Battle of Platea. The Persian Wars consist of three battles: the Battle of Marathon, Battle of Salamis and Battle of Platea. Two Greek victories of Salamis and Platea will allow Greece to win and stop the Persians. At the Battle of Platea is where the Spartans finally put a stop to the Persians. (Williams) After these victories the Greeks started to see themselves as Greeks, not as their own

city-states.

The Greek’s success made it clear that there was a wide gap between their culture and the culture of those who are not Greeks. Herodotus, a Greek historian who was the first to write an account of the Persian Wars, thought that the Greeks won and excelled because they were free men, while the Persians were subjects of an autocracy. (Frankforter & Spellman, 92). After the war, Athens went through a Golden Age. Athenian culture is significant to our history, they had a great impact on our world. We get a lot from Athens’ culture, from architecture, philosophy, literature, science, Olympic Games, to even the word music its self. These Greeks founded a culture we still identify with. They also introduced use to democracy, along with our first dedicated history and vocabulary for politics. (“Ancient Greek…”) However, we would not have experienced the effects of the Greek culture, if the Greeks lost the Persian

Wars. For one Athens would have never experienced a Golden Age and also they would not dominate the Delian League. And if there was not a Delian League, then Athens would never have become so full of themselves and imperialistic. Sparta would have no need to go to war with Athens, therefore, the Peloponnesian War would not have happened. If the Peloponnesian war never happened, then Phillip of Macedonia would never have taken over. But, this does have an effect on our world today and Greek culture. Well, if the Persian would have taken over they would have taken over the Greek culture, they would completely erase it and put their culture into place. There also would defiantly be no democracy under the Persian rule. I think that the Persians would not have been strong enough to handle this power because they are not a unified empire. Greece would have been in turmoil with the Persian in rule. We would not have the things in Greek culture to influence our world, like: democracy, architecture, philosophy, literature, science, etc. The Persian Empire would soon fall part because of the bureaucracy and the needs and the desire of their own multi-culture citizens. Therefore, leaving Greece in turmoil and The Persian Empire dismantled. But, since the Greeks did win things shift into a Golden Age leaving Athens being dominate of the Delian League, however, Sparta will not be happy, this leaving the Greeks not so happy after all.