- Marathon (490 BCE)
- There was a revolt of Greek cities against the Persian rule under Darius. The Persians sent 30,000 men to meet the 11,000 Athenians. Militiades, the Athenian commander, attacked quickly, surprising the Persians, who fled. The Persians lost 6,400 men, while the Athenians lost 192 men. One man, Pheidippides, ran 42.2 km (26 miles and 385 yards) to Athens to announce the victory. He died on arrival. This run was the origin of the marathon races of today.
- Thermopylae (480 BCE)
- When Xerxes became king of Persia, he decided to avenge his father’s defeat. Therefore, he sent 300,000 men to Greece. The Greeks had a few thousand men, along with 300 Spartans. The Persians were lured into a mountain pass, where they were about to be defeated when a Greek traitor showed them a safe route out to a place behind the Greek lines. The defending king ordered all but his 300 Spartans to a place of safety, then made a stand. All the Spartans were killed.
- Salamis (480 BCE)
- Themistocles had persuaded the Athenians to build warships. When the ships were ready, the Greek navy lured the Persian navy into Salamis Channel. Then, the Greek triremes rammed the larger Persian ships. When the battle was over, the Persian navy was destroyed.
- Plataea (479 BCE)
- One year after the Battle of Salamis, the Greek city-states, led by the Spartans, defeated the Persian army to end the wars.
- Mycale (479 BCE)
- In this battle, the remnants of the Persian navy were destroyed by the Greek navy.
(This page was updated in December 2012.)
