Greco-Persian Wars

Introduction
Establishment and expansion of the Achaemenian Empire (559–500 bce)
The Ionian Revolt (499–493 bce)
The Persian attack and the Battle of Marathon (490 bce)
The expedition of Xerxes (480–479 bce)
- The Battle of Thermopylae
- Salamis, Plataea, and the destruction of the Persian invasion force
The Greek offensive and the Peace of Callias (478–449)

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Map showing the extent of the Achaemenid Empire during the 6th and 5th centuries BC, shaded in light green and spanning from the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt through the Middle East to parts of Central Asia and the Indus Valley. Major regions, cities, and trade routes such as the Royal Road are labeled within the empire's boundaries.

Map of ancient Greece highlighting major cities, regions, and states, including mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, parts of Asia Minor, Sicily, and southern Italy. Key ancient cities such as Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Syracuse, and Troy are labeled, along with numbered divisions corresponding to regions like Epirus, Thessaly, Attica, and Arcadia. The map also shows surrounding seas and neighboring territories.

Bas-relief detail of Xerxes I wearing a robe and crown, holding a flower, from the north courtyard of the treasury at Persepolis, now in the Archaeological Museum in Tehran.

Jacques-Louis David: Leonidas at Thermopylae

At a Glance

Persian Wars summary

Quizzes

Civil War era cannon overlooks Kennesaw Mountain National Battle. (military, artillery, American history)

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Temple ruins of columns and statures at Karnak, Egypt (Egyptian architecture; Egyptian archaelogy; Egyptian history)

History Buff Quiz

Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)

World Wars

Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.

Ancient Greece

D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.

A History of War

Related Questions

How did Darius I’s death affect Persia’s plans to conquer Greece?
How did Ephialtes help the Persian army defeat the Greeks at Thermopylae?
How did Themistocles persuade Xerxes to attack the Greek fleet at Salamis?
How did the Athenians prevent the Persian fleet from capturing Athens after Marathon?
How did the Battle of Marathon inspire the modern marathon race?
How did the Delian League organize contributions of ships and money from member states?
How did the Ionian Revolt lead to the Greco-Persian Wars?
How did the Persians treat the Acropolis after entering Athens in 480 BCE?
How many Athenians and Plataeans fought at the Battle of Marathon?
How were the Greek defenses at Thermopylae and Artemisium connected?
What victory did Cimon win for the Delian League at the Eurymedon River?
What were the reported Greek and Persian casualties at the Battle of Marathon?
Which Greek city-state sent soldiers to help Athens at the Battle of Marathon?
Which Greek city-states fought against the Persian Empire during the Greco-Persian Wars?
Which Greek states remained neutral or supported Persia during Xerxes’s invasion?
Why did Athens create the Delian League after the Persian invasions?
Why did Greek city-states form an alliance against Xerxes’s invasion?
Why did Xerxes I invade Greece in 480 BCE?
Why did the Greek defenders abandon the Vale of Tempe?
Why did the Greek fleet withdraw from Artemisium?
Why did the Greeks choose Thermopylae as a defensive position?
Why did the Persian army collapse after Mardonius was killed at Plataea?
Why did the legend of Pheidippides differ from Herodotus’s account?
Why did the narrow straits of Salamis favor the Greek navy?
Why was the Battle of Marathon important to the Greeks?
Why was the Battle of Plataea considered one of the most decisive Greek victories?
Why were the Spartans unable to arrive before the Battle of Marathon ended?
What is the purpose of the Parthenon?
Why is the Parthenon important?
How is the Parthenon still standing?
How was the Parthenon built?
How is the Parthenon imperfect?
What problems did Xerxes I face when he became king?
Why did Xerxes I go to war with the Greeks?
How successful was Xerxes I in the first part of his war with the Greeks?
What was the turning point for Xerxes I in his invasion of Greece?
What was the cause of World War II?

History Wars, Battles & Armed Conflicts

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External Websites

Iran Chamber Society - The Persian Wars
Humanities LibreTexts - Reading: The Persian Wars
Ancient History Encyclopedia - Persian Wars
CUNY Pressbooks - Birth of Europe - The Persian Wars
Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Greco-Persian Wars, 499-448 BC
Purdue University - Collecting to the Core -- The Greco-Persian Wars (PDF)

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Persian Wars - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Persian Wars - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Greco-Persian Wars

492–449 BCE

Also known as: Persian Wars

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Oct. 8, 2026 •History

Greco-Persian Wars, (492–449 bce), series of wars fought by Greek states and Persia over a period of almost half a century. The fighting was most intense during two invasions that Persia launched against mainland Greece between 490 and 479. Although the Persian empire was at the peak of its strength, the collective defense mounted by the Greeks overcame seemingly impossible odds and even succeeded in liberating Greek city-states on the fringe of Persia itself. The...

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