The wars began after Greek city-states in Ionia (on the coast of modern Turkey) revolted against Persian rule.

The Persian Empire, under King Darius and later King Xerxes, launched two major invasions of mainland Greece.

In the first invasion, the Athenians won a stunning victory against a larger Persian force at the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE).

The second invasion saw the famous last stand of 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE).

The Athenian navy, under the strategist Themistocles, destroyed the Persian fleet at the decisive Battle of Salamis.

The final land battle at Plataea (479 BCE) secured the ultimate victory for the allied Greek city-states.

The wars fostered a sense of shared Greek identity ('Hellenism') against a common foreign enemy.

The historian Herodotus, known as the 'Father of History,' wrote the primary account of the wars.

The Greek victory preserved their independence and political systems from Persian domination.

The outcome of the wars ushered in the Golden Age of Athens.