the Greek cities of Ionia rebelled against Persian rule. The Persian king, Darius, crushed the revolt, and he invaded Greece to punish Athens for the support of the failed revolt in Ionia. A first Persian invasion failed when the Persian fleet was destroyed in a storm off Mount Athos. A second expedition was decisively beaten by the Athenians and their allies on land at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. This was perhaps the single most important battle in Greek history, because had the Athenians lost, Greece would have eventually come under the control of the Persians and all the subsequent Greeks artistic accomplishments would probably not have taken form.
Interesting fact: the Battle of Marathon is where the marathon run was developed. The victorious Athenian army sent a young soldier (probably Phaedippas) to take word back to Athens. He ran the entire distance, 42.192 kms, shouted "We have won!" and fell dead of exhaustion. In memory of this event the Marathon Run was included among the contests since the first contemporary Olympic Games.
Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE).
This map shows the route taken by Persian soldiers in 480 B.C. to attack the Spartan forces under King Leonidas. With only 300 men, Leonidas had defended the mountain pass of Thermopylae for several days but was betrayed by a Greek farmer who showed the Persians how to go around the pass. Despite the bravery of the Spartans, the Persians pushed through northern Greece and destroyed Athens.
Battle of Salamis (480 BCE).
This map shows how the allied Greek forces defeated the Persians in the Salamis strait in 480 B.C. Themistocles, the Athenian general, organized a fleet of about 400 ships to move against a Persian fleet more than twice as large. Watching from his throne on shore, Xerxes, the Persian king, was surprised and horrified to see his huge fleet destroyed by the Greeks, who controlled the narrow waterway. Xerxes then returned home, leaving a small army in Greece.