Greco-Persian Wars
Videos
The Greco-Persian Wars, also called the Persian Wars, were a series of armed conflicts involving various Greek city-states and the Achaemenid Empire from 499 BC to 449 BC. The precipitating collision
Combat between a Persian soldier (left) and a Greek hoplite (right) depicted on a kylix displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens
Herodotus, the main historical source for this conflict
Thucydides continued Herodotus's narrative
Persian and Median Immortals in ceremonial dress, bas-relief in Persepolis
The second Persian invasion of Greece occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat
Greco-Persian Wars
…the throne and the responsibility for continuing the Achaemenid Empire's stalled conquest of Greece. In 480 BC, Xerxes initiated and personally led the second Persian invasion of Greece with one of the largest armies ever assembled in the ancient world. His victory over the Greek alliance in the Battle of Thermopylae allowed the Persian…
Second Persian Invasion
The Spartans throw Persian envoys into a well.
Rendition of the Xerxes Canal (seen from north), built over 3 years from 483 BC across the Mount Athos peninsula. It is now filled-up.
Preparations of the army of Xerxes, with quarters in Sardis in 481–480 BC, and crossing of the Hellespont at Abydos.