War
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The wars between Persia and Greece took place in the early part of the
5th century BC. Persia had a huge empire and had every intention of adding
Greece to it.
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The Persian king Darius first attacked Greece in 490 BC, but was defeated
at the Battle of Marathon by a mainly Athenian force. This humiliation
led to the attempt to conquer Greece in 480-479 BC.
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The invasion was led by Xerxes, Darius's son. After initial
Persian victories, the Persians were eventually defeated, both at sea and
on land.
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The wars with the Persians had a great effect on ancient Greeks. The Athenian Acropolis was destroyed by the Persians, but the Athenian response was to build the beautiful buildings whose ruins we can still see today. In Greek art, there are many depictions of Greeks fighting Persians and Greek plays also feature the Persian enemy. The wars also led to a show of unity between the Greeks, which was essential to their success in defeating their enemy.
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The battle of Thermopylae
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Explore the battlefield at Plataia
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Can you command a Greek trireme?
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