The classical period

First Persian war

490 BCE

The Persians , led by King Darius , crossed the Aegean Sea to take over Greece , but the Athenians stopped them at the Battle of Marathon To announce the victory after the battle , a Greek soldier ran 42 km from Marathon to Athens out died of exertion . One of the most important Olympic events that we still celebrate commemorates this event .

Second Persian War

480 BCE

Xerxes , son of Darius conquered northern Greece . An alliance between Greek poleis , led by Sparta ried to stop the Persian advance but despite their heroic defence , the Greeks were defeated at the Battle of Thermopylae . That same year , the Persians took Athens , but were finally defeated in the naval Battle of Salamis .

Third Persian War

479 BCE

After the Second Persian War, the poleis formed theDelian Leaguexto protect themselves from future Persian attacks. The Delian League decided to continue the war against the Persians, while Sparta, distrusting Athens, withdrew from the conflict. The Persians were defeated in 465 BC. The conflict continued for more than twenty years, until Artaxerxes signed the Treaty of 449 BC which recognised the independence of the Hellenes in Asia Minor and Greece's sovereignty of the Aegean Sea.