The consolidation of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great in the sixth century B.C. had a major threat to the fledgling states of Greece. The resolution of the clash between East and West was to shape the entire future of the region. For the Greeks, it was a question of survival; for the Persians, on the other hand, occupation of Greece was simply part of their imperial plan. Nonetheless, the Persian Wars are significant because they resulted in a separation between Greece and the Near East after centuries of interaction.
The First Persian War in 490 B.C. was brief. Intending to punish…
