The Greek Federation & The Persian Empire is a fascinating topic. The history involves a lot of dramatic scenes beginning from the time Cyrus the Great conquered the Ionian region to the end times which was marked by a peace treaty. The topic also has an extensive area of resources one can research from.
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The Persian Wars, also known as the Greco-Persian Wars, were phases of wars amongst the Greek city-states and the Empire of Persia(modern-day Iran). It started in 499BC until 449BC.During the time Cyrus the Great conquered the Greek-inhabited region of Ionia in 547BC, the collision between the vast Persian empire and the restless political world of the Greeks began (Santayana). The Persians chose influential opportunists known as tyrants to govern the independent-minded cities of Ionia. In 499BC, Aristagoras, had Persian support when they embarked on a mission to conquer Naxos Island ("Graeco-Persian Wars in Context - Ancient World Library"). The beginning of the Ionian Revolt was when Aristagoras encouraged the Hellenic Asia Minor to rebel against Persia. Athens and Eritrea provided military support to Aristagoras and helped to seize and burn Sardis, in 498BC. Darius, the Persian king, rearranged and assaulted the epicenter of the revolution, leading to the collapse of the rebellion of the Ionians at the Battle of Lade.
Greece was first invaded by the Persian when the Persian Commander, Mardonius, successfully conquered Thrace and overpowered Macedon in 492BC. A second expedition led by Datis and Artaphernes subdued the Cyclades and captured Eretria. However, the Persian dynamism was overwhelmed by the Athenians ("Graeco-Persian Wars in Context - Ancient World Library").
After Darius’ death in 48BC, Xerxes, his son, took over as the new commander and led his army to invade Greece in 480BC. With a very large army, the Persians conquered Greece at the Battle of Thermopylae, allowing them to torch and evacuate Athens and overpower the greater part of Greece. The Persian army, however, suffered a big defeat by the Greece in the Salamis battle.
In 479BC, the allied Greeks defeated the Persian army at the Plataean war, ending the Greece invasion. The Persian fleet was further destroyed by the allied Greeks at the war of Mycale, before pushing out the Persian battalions from Sestos (479BC) and Byzantium(478BC). This led to the isolation of most of the states in Greece while an alliance against the Persians was reformed around Athenian leadership. The anti-Persian Movement continued for more than thirty years. The rest of the Persian garrison in Europe was expelled. In 466BC, in the Eurymedon battle, the Delian League won two wars that freed the Ionian cities. In 451BC, the wars between Greece and Persia silently ended. A peace treaty marked the end of the hostilities between Athens and Persia (Santayana).
Works Cited
"The Graeco-Persian Wars in Context - Ancient World Library." Ancient World Library - Gateway to the Ancient World. N.p., 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 5 July 2016.
Santayana, George. "Persian Empire [ushistory.org]." US History. N.p., 2008. Web. 5 July 2016. <http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4e.asp>.
