Greco-Persian Wars, series of wars fought by Greek states and Persia from 492 to 449 BCE. Although the Persian empire was at the peak of its strength, the collective defense mounted by the Greeks overcame seemingly impossible odds and even succeeded in l
Supreme authority in war and peace was vested in the Persian monarch, whose absolute powers were tempered only by the custom of consulting his Persian officials. Darius was described as “the great king, king of kings, king of the countries possessing all kinds of peoples, king of this great...