The Greco-Persian Wars - PART III: Eve of the Great Invasion (490-480 BC)

In this episode, we’ll explore the critical decade between the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC and Xerxes’ invasion of Greece in 480 BC—a period that shaped the course of the Greco-Persian Wars. Following their defeat at Marathon, the Persians, under King Darius I, began preparing for a renewed campaign, but internal challenges, including rebellions and Darius’ death in 486 BC, delayed their plans. With the ascension of Xerxes I, the Persian Empire moved decisively. Xerxes crushed revolts in Egypt and Babylonia and set his sights on Greece, organizing one of the largest invasion forces in ancient history to fulfill his father’s uncompleted ambitions of conquest. Meanwhile, growing awareness of the Persian threat pushed some Greek city-states toward greater unity. Despite internal rivalries, alliances began to form, with Athens and Sparta taking the lead in preparing for the storm to come. But would this fledgling cooperation be enough to stand against Xerxes’ colossal forces? Let's find out. Contents: 00:00 Recap and Introduction 01:07 Darius' Legacy 04:07 Xerxes becomes King 06:38 The Great Debate: Mardonius 15:47 The Great Debate: Artabanus 19:45 On to War! 27:15 The Grand Army of Xerxes 35:07 Gelon of Sicily and the Search for Allies 45:52 Thank You and Patrons Special thanks to Farya Faraji for the following musical compositions featured throughout the program: "Apranik's Charge" "Achaemenes" "Shirin and Khosrow" "The Apadana's Shadows" "Rider's of Ariana" "Under Iranian Stars" "Mater" "In Sappho's Mind" "Aíma" "In Pythagoras' Mind" "Aspasia" "Alexander's Symphony" Check out more of his work that spans across many countries, cultures and time periods: @faryafaraji.and.worldmusicians You can also find them on the albums: Songs of Old Iran Vols. I & II Voices of the Ancients Vols. I & II Additional Music: Epidemic Sound "Genie's Bane" "Interstate 895" "One with the Tribe" "Zero Remorse" Also thanks to Malay Archer for helping with some of the machinimas using the Total War: Rome 2 Divide et Impera, Cyrus the Great campaign Check out more of his work here: @malayarcher Related Videos: Greco-Persian Wars Playlist Greco-Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars - PART II: The Aegean Campaigns and the Battle of Marathon (492-490 BC) The Greco-Persian Wars - PART II: The Aege... The Greco-Persian Wars - PART I: The Rise of Persia and the Ionian Revolt (550-493 BC) The Greco-Persian Wars - PART I: The Rise ... Darius the Great: The Life and Times of the Great King of Persia in his Own Words Darius the Great: The Life and Times of th... Sources and Suggested Reading: The Landmark Herodotus - Herodotus, Edited by Robert B. Strassler, translated by Andrea L. Purvis The Histories (Penguin Classics) - Herodotus, Edited by John M. Marincola, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt The Greco-Persian Wars - Peter Green The Persian War in Herodotus and Other Ancient Voices - William Shepherd The Battle of Marathon - Peter Krentz Battles and Battlefields of Ancient Greece: A Guide to their History, Topography and Archaeology - C. Jacob Butera and Matthew A. Sears First Clash: The Miraculous Victory at Marathon and its Impact on Western Civilization - Jim Lacey From Cyrus the Alexander – Pierre Briant The Greco-Persian Wars: A Short History with Documents - Erik Jensen Thermopylae: The Battle that Changed the World - Paul Cartledge Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE - Matt Waters The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period - Amélie Kuhrt Plutarch's Lives - Plutarch, translated by John Dryden Library of History - Diodorus Siculus A History of Greece: 1300-30 BC - Victor Parker Ancient Greece: A Political, Social and Cultural History - Edited by Sarah B. Pomeroy The Complete History of Ancient Greece - Edited by Don Nardo A History of Ancient Persia - The Achaemenid Empire (Blackwell History of the Ancient World) - Maria Brosius History of the Persian Empire - A.T. Olmstead The Iranian Expanse – Matthew P. Canepa The Persians - Jim Hicks Follow History with Cy: Instagram ► Instagram: historywithcy Facebook ► Facebook: historywithcy Twitter ► Twitter: historywithcy Merch ► https://my-store-11502415.creator-spr... Podcast ► https://historywithcy.buzzsprout.com/ Patreon ► Patreon: historywithcy #ancienthistory #greekhistory #achaemenid