Read: Two conflicts that shaped Greece

Ancient Greece was not one united country. It was a collection of independent communities called city-states, including Athens and Sparta. They sometimes joined forces when they faced a common enemy, but they also competed and fought one another. The Persian Wars took place in the early fifth century BCE. The Persian Empire, ruled by King Darius and later his son Xerxes, tried to extend its power into Greece. In 490 BCE, Athenian forces defeated a Persian army at Marathon. Ten years later, King Xerxes invaded with a much larger force. At Thermopylae, a small Greek force led by the Spartan king Leonidas resisted the Persian advance, but the Persians eventually passed through. The Greek fleet later defeated the Persians at Salamis in 480 BCE. In 479 BCE, Greek forces won an important land victory at Plataea. The invasion failed, although tensions between Greek city-states continued. A trireme was a fast warship powered by rows of oars. At Salamis, Greek ships used the narrow waters to their advantage against the larger Persian fleet. On land, hoplites—heavily armed foot soldiers—could fight in a phalanx: a close formation in which each soldier’s shield helped protect a neighbour. Later, Athens and Sparta became rivals. The Peloponnesian War lasted from 431 to 404 BCE. Athens led the Delian League, an alliance of city-states with a strong navy. Sparta led the Peloponnesian League and had powerful land forces. The long war included battles, sieges and periods of plague. Sparta eventually won, and Athens surrendered in 404 BCE. The war weakened many Greek city-states. The Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War were different conflicts: one was mainly a Greek defence against Persian invasion, while the other was a struggle among Greek powers.

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