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  

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

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