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Athenian soldiers, typically wearing blue, were not life-long soldiers as Sparta, but their navy was unmatched, and their hoplites were as brave as Sparta's when needed. Athenian soldiers were the powerhouse of the naval victories during the…

The Athenian Fleet was smaller and newer than the Persian Fleet, but the strategic maneuvering of Themistokles of Greece led to important victories at Salamis and Mycale.

The Athenian Aristides (man in Green) was a strategos at the Battle of Marathon and was in charge of the Athenian army in Athens while Themistocles was battling the Persians at sea when Mardonius came to Athens seeking an ally. Aristides refused,…

Mardonius (front soldier on the right side) took advantage of Themistocles's absence and sacked Athens, leading the Persian army from Thermopylae all the way till his death at Plataea.
Xerxes intrusted the Persian army to Mardonius when he fled back…

This drawing shows Athens at its peak right before Xerxes came through and burned it to the ground, and its position at the top of a hill is both literal and symbolic because Athens was the richest city-state in Greece.
Xerxes targeted Athens to get…