Browse Items (25 total)

Xerxes I carried his father's ambitions and invaded Greece, making it a lot further than his father did.
Xerxes was bloodthirsty and killed anyone in his path, leading to a deadly and brutal war against the Greek city-states.

This picture displays modern-day Thermopylae where the Phocian Wall was placed to funnel the Persian forces into the Greek Phalanx, and it also shows how narrow that space actually was.
The coastline used to be where the highway is now, and that is…

The Battle of Plataea was the final nail in the coffin for Xerxes's land invasion of Greece because of the city's advantageous location, backed up against a mountainside.
The location is important because the Persian Army pushed hard towards the…

Spartan hoplites, typically wearing red, were fierce soldiers that lived, breathed, and died warriors. Three hundred Spartans, with the help of other Greek soldiers, held off Xerxes at the battle of Thermopylae. The rest of the Spartan forces marched…

King Leonidas gathered 300 royal guards and several thousand hoplites to hold the Persians at the Hot Gates of Thermopylae.
This heroic stand by an aging King (around 60 years old) against impossible odds gave the rest of Greece hope against the…

This painting shows the Greek Phalanx going against the Persian foot soldiers and the phalanx is stronger because of the metal shields and long spears used to keep the Persians at
medium-range.
The Battle of Plataea was the end of the Persian…

Darius The Great invaded Greece and lost at the Battle of Marathon, his son Xerxes took the throne before Darius could get around to attacking Greece again.
Darius's failure led to Xerxes's lusts for blood and was a factor in the gruesome Second…

Persian archers numbered in the thousands and gave the Persian army an advantage in land battles because of their sheer number. Archers are thought to have dealt the final blows to the Spartan 300, including Leonidas. The Persian Archers were so…

Persian Immortals were fierce soldiers that had nicer armor and better training than the rest of the army, like ancient Seal Team 6, and they were the group that flanked the Spartan Phalanx at Thermopylae.
These elite soldiers were sent out as a war…

King Darius I had Persepolis built as a lasting palace for his home and a home for his successors to come. King Xerxes I used this palace as a launching point for his army, and it is where he fled to after leaving Mardonius in charge of the Persian…