wars in greece

	The Persian Wars Throughout antiquity, the biggest threat to the Greek world was Persia, a mighty empire with its eye on expansion. But, during the Persian Wars of 490-480BC, the balance of power unexpectedly changed. In a series of daring campaigns at Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis, the Greeks successfully defended the mainland from the invaders. The significance of their victory is huge. Before this, the Greeks were a series of independent – often rival – city states with no sense of national identity. Afterwards, they began to recognise their cultural similarity. They proudly identified themselves as ‘Greeks’ and developed a sense of confidence that resulted in the great cultural achievements of the 3rd and 4th centuries BC, particularly in Athens. Had the Persians won, the ancient Greek legacy of democracy, art and drama that has influenced the modern world so profoundly might never have been created. The Trojan War The story of the Trojan War is one of the most famous in Greek legend. When the Trojan prince, Paris, abducted Menelaus’ beautiful wife, Helen, Menelaus enlisted the Greeks, led by his brother, King Agamemnon of Mycenae, to retrieve his reluctant bride. The result was 10 years of bloody siege and the death of many Greek heroes, including Hector and Achilles. The war was finally won thanks to Odysseus’ brilliant scheme. On his instruction, the Greeks sailed away, as if in defeat, leaving behind a huge wooden horse. Thinking the horse was an offering to the gods, the Trojans wheeled it into the city. At nightfall, a crack team of Greek warriors emerged from the horse and opened the city gates to the returning Greek army. Troy was sacked and burned to the ground. The myth was turned on its head when German archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann, discovered the real city of Troy – which had in fact been burned down c.1220BC. It is now accepted that the Trojan War did really happen, although it was more likely fought over trade routes than love. The Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian Wars were effectively the world war of Ancient Greece. The fighting lasted for 27 years from 431 to 404BC, involved nations from across the Greek world and took place not just in mainland Greece, but as far away as Sicily and Byzantium. Politics was the root of the trouble. Athens had become the richest and most powerful city in Greece, and its democratic system of government was being widely copied, much to the alarm of die-hard oligarchies such as Sparta. Gathering allies from across the Dorian Greek region, Sparta formed the Peloponnesian League and waged war. In response, Athens sided with other Ionian Greeks in the Aegean region and western Asia Minor to fight under the Delian League. It was a war of attrition, with a lack of military technology making progress slow and hard. Both sides won victories but, in the end, Sparta toppled Athens from power, only to find itself in control of an exhausted Greece.