Timeline of the Persian Wars 492-449

Timeline of the Persian Wars 492-449 The Persian Wars (sometimes known as the Greco-Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire, beginning in 502 BCE and running some 50 years, until 449 BCE. The seeds for the wars was planted in 547 BCE when the Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great, conquered  Greek Ionia. Before this, the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire,  centered in what is now modern-day Iran, had maintained an uneasy coexistence, but this expansion by the Persians would eventually lead to war.   Timeline and Summary of the Persian Wars 502 BCE,  Naxos: An unsuccessful attack by the Persians on the large island of Naxos, midway between Crete and the current Greek mainland,  paved the way to revolts by Ionian settlements occupied by the Persians in Asia Minor. The Persian Empire had gradually expanded to occupy Greek settlements in Asia Minor, and the success of Naxos at repelling the Persians encouraged the Greek settlements to consider rebellion.  c. 500 BCE, Asia Minor: The first revolts by Green Ionian regions of Asia Minor began, in reaction to oppressive tyrants appointed by the Persians to oversee the territories.  498 BCE, Sardis:  Ã‚  Persians, led by Aristagoras with Athenian and Eritrean allies, occupied Sardis, located along what is now the western coast of Turkey. The city was burned, and the Greeks met and were defeated by a Persian force. This was the end of the Athenian involvement in the Ionian  revolts.492 BCE, Naxos: When the Persians invaded, the inhabitants of the island fled. The Per sians burned settlements, but the nearby island of Delos was spared. This marked the first invasion of Greece by the Persians, led by Mardonius. 490 BCE, Marathon: The first Persian invasion of Greece ended with Athens decisive victory over the Persians at Marathon, in the Attica region, north of Athens.  480 BCE, Thermopylae, Salamis: Led by Xerxes, the Persians in their second invasion of Greece defeated the combined Greek forces at the Battle of Thermopylae. Athens soon falls, and the Persians overrun most of Greece. However, at the Battle of Salamis, a large island west of Athens, the combined Greek navy decisively beat the Persians. Xerxes retreated to Asia.  479 BCE, Plataea:  Persians retreating from their loss at Salamis encamped at Plataea, a small town northwest of Athens, where combined Greek forces badly defeated the Persian army, led by Mardonius. This defeat effectively ended the second Persian invasion. Later that year, combined Greek forces went on the offensive to expel Persian forces from Ionian settlements in Sestos and Byzantium.  478 BCE, Delian League: A joint effort of Greek city-states, the Del ian League formed to combine efforts against the Persians. When Spartas actions alienated many of the Greek city-states, they united under the leadership of Athens, thereby beginning what many historians view as the start of the Athenian Empire. Systematic expulsion of the Persians from settlements in Asia now began, continuing for 20 years.   476 to 475 BCE, Eion: Athenian general Cimon captured this important Persian stronghold, where Persian armies stored huge stores of supplies. Eion was located west of the island of Thasos and south of what is now the border of Bulgaria, at the mouth of the Strymon River.  468 BCE, Caria: General Cimon freed the coastal towns of Caria from the Persians in a series of land and sea battles. Southern Aisa Minor from Cari to Pamphylia (the region of what is now Turkey between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean) soon became part of the Athenian Federation.  456 BCE, Prosopitis: To support a local Egyptian rebellion in the Nile River Delta, Greek forces were besieged by remaining Persian forces and were badly defeated. This marked the beginning of the end of Delian League expansionism under Athenian leadership  449 BCE, Peace of Callias: Persia and Athens signed a peace treaty, although, to all intents and purposes, hostilities had ended several years earlier. Soon, Athens would find itself in the middle of the Peloponnesian Wars as Sparta, and other city-states rebelled against Athenian supremacy.

San Marino - Information and Geography

San Marino - Information and Geography Population: 31,817 (July 2011 estimate)Capital: San MarinoBordering Countries: ItalyArea: 23 square miles (61 sq km)Highest Point: Monte Titano at 2,477 feet (755 m)Lowest Point: Torrente Ausa at 180 feet (55 m)San Marino is a small country located on the Italian Peninsula. It is completely surrounded by Italy and has an area of just 23 square miles (61 sq km) and a population of 31,817 people (July 2011 estimate). Its capital is the City of San Marino but its largest city is Dogana. San Marino is known as being the oldest independent constitutional republic in the world.History of San MarinoIt is believed that San Marino was founded in 301 C.E. by Marinus the Dalmatian, a Christian stonesman, when he fled the island of Arbe and hid on Monte Titano (U.S. Department of State). Marinus fled Arbe to escape the anti-Christian Roman Emperor Diocletian (U.S. Department of State). Shortly after he arrived at Monte Titano he founded a small Christian community that was later became a republi c called the Land of San Marino in honor of Marinus. Initially the government of San Marino consisted of an assembly made up of the heads of each family residing in the area. This assembly was known as the Arengo. This lasted until 1243 when the Captains Regent became joint heads of state. In addition, the original area of San Marino only included that of Monte Titano. In 1463 however San Marino joined an association that was against Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini. The association later defeated Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta and Pope Pius II Piccolomini gave San Marino the towns of Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle (U.S. Department of State). In addition, Faetano also joined the republic in the same year and its area expanded to a total of its current 23 square miles (61 sq km).San Marino has been invaded twice throughout its history - once in 1503 by Cesare Borgia and once in 1739 by Cardinal Alberoni. Borgias occupation of San Marino ended with his death several months after its occupation. Alberonis ended after the Pope restored the republics independence, which it has maintained ever since. Government of San MarinoToday the Republic of San Marino is considered a republic with an executive branch consisting of co-chiefs of state and a head of government. It also has a unicameral Grand and General Council for its legislative branch and a Council of Twelve for its judicial branch. San Marino is divided into nine municipalities for local administration and it joined the United Nations in 1992.Economics and Land Use in San MarinoSan Marinos economy is mainly focused on tourism and the banking industry, but it relies on imports from Italy for most of its citizens food supplies. The other main industries of San Marino are textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement and wine (CIA World Factbook). In addition agriculture takes place on limited level and the main products of that industry are wheat, grapes, corn, olives, cattle, pigs, horses, beef and hides (CIA World Factbook).Geography and Climate of San MarinoSan Marino is located in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula. Its a rea consists of a landlocked enclave that is entirely surrounded by Italy. San Marinos topography mainly consists of rugged mountains and its highest elevation is Monte Titano at 2,477 feet (755 m). The lowest point in San Marino is Torrente Ausa at 180 feet (55 m).The climate of San Marino is Mediterranean and as such it has mild or cool winters and warm to hot summers. Most of San Marinos precipitation also falls during its winter months.To learn more about San Marino, visit the Geography and Maps section on San Marino on this website.ReferencesCentral Intelligence Agency. (16 August 2011). CIA - The World Factbook - San Marino. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sm.htmlInfoplease.com. (n.d.). San Marino: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107939.htmlUnited States Department of State. (13 June 2011). San Marino. Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5387.htmWikipedia.org. (18 August 2011). San Marino - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_marino