Persian War

The Persian Expantion

513 BCE

The Persian Expansion had a significant impact on the ancient world. It started with Cyrus the great, who set the Persian Empire. The empire expanded farther and ruled over Egypt and the Indus valley with Cambyses ll and Darius l help. A setback was Xerxes l's invasion of greece which failed.

Marathon

490 BCE

The battle of Marathon was fought between the Athenians and the Persians. The battle took place on the Marathon plain of Northeastern Attica. If any Greek city-state supported the uprising in Ionia the Persian army wanted to defeat them. The Persian army wanted to defeat them because they wanted to punish Athens for its role in the Ionian Revolt.

Darius the first Death

486 BCE

Darius the Great was born in 550 BCE and died in 486 BCE. Darius was one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty. Due to the lack of exact history records, Darius's death is unclear.

Xerxes I

480 BCE

In 480 BCE Xerxes was the Persian king who invaded Greece. He wanted revenge for his father Darius I's defeat at the battle of the marathon. During the invasion Xerxes commanded the Persian army and the navy.

Thermopylae

480 BCE

In 480 BCE King Xerxes gathered a huge invasion force to attack Greece again, but this time they traveled through Thermopylae on the east coast. In August the Spartan king Leonidas led a small band of Greeks. They held past for three days but were killed by a man. At the same time, the Persians fought the Greek fleet at the indecisive naval battle at Artemision. Together, these battles gave Greece time and allowed its towns to prepare for bigger difficulties to come.

Artemisia I of Caria

480 BCE

A trusted ally for the Persians was Artemisia. Artemisia was the Queen of Halicarnassus in Turkey. During the battle of Salamis, Artemisia commanded ships in the Persian navy. Artemisia won her respect by her skillful maneuvering, Artemisia even won her respect from the Greeks.

Battle of Salamis

480 BCE

The battle of the Salamis was a naval battle between the Greeks and Persians. The Persians had a larger fleet but, Athens used their better strategies. The Greeks took advantage of the narrow strarits near the island of Salamis, by maneuvering the ships neatly. It was an important victory because it marked a turning point in the war.

King Ledonidas I

480 BCE

In 480 BCE Ledonidas famously led the Greek forces at the battle of Thermopylae. Ledonidas led 300 spartan warriers and fought fearlessly but the Spartainians were overwhelmed by the amount of people in the Persian army.

Platea

479 BCE

The battle of Plataea happened near the city of Plataea in Boeotia, Greece. After losing the battle in Salamis, the Persians left behind a sizable land force under the command of Mardonius. The Greek city-states really wanted to expel the Persians from their territories. The greeks confronted the Persians and purposly positioned themselves on high ground, avoiding Persians assaults. The Greeks later won the battle. The victory marked the end of the Persian threat.

the Peace of Callias

449 BCE

In 449 BCE the peace of Callias finally ended the anger between the Athens and its allies and Persia. Artaxerxes I of Persia recognised the freedom in Greek states in Europe and Asia, so he kept the Persian fleet out of the Aegean.