Persian Wars (490 BCE to 479 BCE) between the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire were predicated by various circumstances, ranging from cultural ideologies to political connivances. For the Greeks, particularly the Ionians and the Athenians, Persian rule was unwanted and unacceptable. The Persian leaders Darius and his son Xerxes, however, following in the example of Cyrus the Great, saw the Greek city-states as puny colonies that were to be

Thus, the Spartans were now free, along with the disgruntled Persians, who had a significant ax to grind with Athens, to seize the opportunity and attack Athens (thereby ending the 50 years truce). After a few years of resistance, Athens fell completely, and was immediately subjected to the oligarchical government under Sparta, known as "the Thirty." Although it certainly seems ironic that the very democratic system that the Athenians were so

There was still plenty of bickering (Herodotus 506), but in general, the Greeks had now finally learned the first of the two "lessons" that some read in the Ionian Revolt and its defeat: In any effort against superior numbers, unity is essential to success. The second lesson, about the importance of naval power, was shortly to be demonstrated. Having not been wasted at Artemisium, the Greek fleet overcame the Persians

Persian Wars were wars fought between the Persian Empire and Greek city states in the 5th century BCE. The Persian Empire under Darius was expanding westward into Europe, and had targeted the powerful Greek states, particularly Athens, in order to capture what was the major power in the region at the time. The Greeks were able to hold their territory, and as a result they were able to preserve their

The Greco-Persian Wars were still in their early stages at this point, but it would be Xerxes, not Darius, that continued and stepped up efforts to invade and conquer the Attic Greeks. If the Battle of Marathon had turned the other way, as many at the time expected it to and as many historians and tacticians believe it easily could and by all rights should have, the entire course of

The Greeks initiated the process of retaking their cities previously conquered by Persians and set tributes. Under the lead of Alexander the Great, Greece enlarged its spatial boundaries "from southern Egypt to the gates of China." (Robert Morkot, Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece) Ending the war Twenty years after the commence of Persian attacks, Greek military general Themistocles managed to obviate the Persian threat over Greece. "The Greek victory was