TheMedical Wars, in which the Greeks fought the Persians, took place in ancient Greece in the 5th century BC. and is also known as the Persian, Persian, Medes, Greco-Persian or Greco-Persian Wars.
The cause of the war was due to the fact that the Persians were expanding their territory, conquering Greek colonies and thus dominating the trade of the Aegean Sea . The Greeks did not accept this hegemony and entered the dispute over the lands of Asia Minor.
The Medical Wars are so known not because many doctors participated in the battles, but because the Persian people were also called Medo-Persian.
The Medical Wars can be divided into two periods:
First Medical War
The first period, which took place in 490 BC, is also known as the Period of Darius .
Darius was the king of the Persians and ordered his army to invade Greece.
It is known as Battle of Marathon , because that was the name of the city where the battle took place.
The Persians outnumbered them, but they were still surprisingly defeated.
Hence the name of the marathon races for, it is said, an army messenger was sent to Athens to warn that the Greeks had vanquished the Persians, and after traveling a great distance died of a massive heart attack.
Second Medical War
The second period, which took place in 480 BC, is also known as the Period of Xerxes .
Afraid that Persia would return to the attack, the League of Delos is created or Delian Confederacy , which aimed to strengthen the defenses of Greek cities. Delos was the name of the city where the League was based.
Xerxes was the son of Darius and continued the war between Persians and Greeks, having been defeated, like his father, in the Battle of Salamis .
At this point the Treaty of Susa is signed , also known as Peace of Kallias , in which the Persians recognized Greek rule in Asia Minor and promised not to attack Greek territory further.
Thus, the Greeks achieve the hegemony of trade and the Persian empire begins to decline.
See also :Exercises on Ancient Greece
Peloponnese War
After the Medical Wars, conflicts arise, now not between the Greeks and the Persians; this is a civil war between Greeks called the Peloponnesian War.
The purpose of creating the Delian League was not fulfilled, as Athens began to enjoy its own benefits to the detriment of other Greek cities. Thus, the Peloponnese League, led by Sparta , which aimed to fight against the Delian League, led by Athens.
Sparta emerges victorious and thus guarantees hegemony in ancient Greece.
Want to know more about ancient conflicts? Read Punic Wars.