The Persian Empire tried several times to invade and conquer the Greek city-states in the days of Athens and Sparta. The Persians were successful at invading but never conquered Greece. Read how the Greeks won despite overwhelming odds against them, time after time.

The Persian Wars: Greece's Finest Hours
Get down to basics with this easy-to-read article describing the Greeks' mighty struggles against the mighty Persians. Includes maps and timeline, as well as interactive windows describing each of the four important battles.

Herodotus: Greece's First Historian
Herodotus is regarded by many to be the "Father of History," for his famous work The Histories, an account of the causes and particulars of the Greco-Persian Wars. However, his work also includes many fanciful tales, which has led others to term him the "Father of Lies." One thing is for sure: We know a lot more about the Greek world, the Persian world, and the world around both ancient civilizations from what Herodotus wrote down than we ever would have if he had not been compelled to scrawl on scrolls with an eye toward posterity. 

Persian Wars Timeline
This detailed timeline puts the events of the war in historical perspective. Notice how many years go by between invasions.

Persian Empire Map
Know how close Persia was to Greece? Find out using this helpful map.

Darius the Great
Read all about the man who made Persia into a great Empire. He was followed by two other Dariuses, neither of whom was as Great as Darius I.

Xerxes
Read the story of Darius's son, who wouldn't take no for an answer, brought a bigger army than his father ever had, and still lost battle after battle to the sturdy Greeks.