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Year 4 - History

The Persian Empire

Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'?

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about the historical conflict between the Greek city-states and Persia. They then broaden their knowledge of this rivalry by learning about Alexander the Great's life. They end the unit by considering the reasons why Alexander has been called 'The Great'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how the Persian Empire became so powerful.

Key Notes

  • In Mesopotamia, where Sumer had once flourished, warring city-states continued to vie for supremacy.
  • Cyrus, king of Persian Achaemenids, conquered the kingdom of Medes and the city of Babylon, creating the Persian Empire.
  • Cyrus' son Cambyses went on to conquer Egypt, so that the pharoahs were now controlled by Persia.
  • By 490 BCE, a king named Darius ruled over the Persian Empire, adding to it with territory in the Indus Valley.
  • Darius wanted to add the Greek city-states to his empire and so the two civilisations went to war.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Mesopotamia: meaning 'between two rivers', Mesopotamia is the name given to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
  • Sumer: Sumer was the earliest ancient civilisation to be known about and was located in the south of Mesopotamia
  • Persian Empire: the civilisation that rivalled Ancient Greece to its east was Persia, all the lands they ruled were the Persian Empire
  • territory: a territory is an area of land that is far away from a country but is still ruled by the country
  • Indus Valley: the Indus Valley surrounds the River Indus, a powerful river that flows through India and Pakistan

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • That the historical places named still exist today.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

In Mesopotamia, where Sumer had once flourished, warring city-states continued to vie for supremacy. Cyrus, king of Persian Achaemenids, conquered the kingdom of Medes and the city of Babylon, creating the Persian Empire.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'Mesopotamia'

meaning 'between two rivers', Mesopotamia is the name given to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: That the historical places named still exist today. Correction: Over time, names and boundaries of places can change. Some places cease to exist entirely while the locations of some places do still exist but they have a different name today. A large area of Persia for example is in the modern-day country of Iran.

More Lessons In This Unit

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