Chapter 1: Fire from the East
* Summary: The book opens in 480 BCE, as the Persian Empire prepares to invade Greece. Darius I, the Great King of Persia, has been plotting this invasion for years, and he is determined to conquer the Greek city-states.
* Real example: Darius sends a message to the Greek city-states, demanding that they submit to his rule. The Spartans respond by sending a messenger to Darius, telling him that they will not submit.
Chapter 2: The Battle of Marathon
* Summary: The Persian army lands at Marathon, a small plain just north of Athens. The Athenians and their allies race to meet the Persian challenge. The Athenians are outnumbered, but they are determined to defend their homeland.
* Real example: The Athenians led by Miltiades. He uses a risky strategy by having the flanks of his army extend beyond the Persian flanks. This allows the Athenian flanks to attack the Persian flanks, causing the Persians to panic.
Chapter 3: The Athenian Empire
* Summary: In the years following the Battle of Marathon, the Athenians build up their empire. They establish alliances with other Greek city-states, and they become a major naval power.
* Real example: The Athenians form the Delian League, an alliance of Greek city-states that is designed to protect Greece from future Persian attacks.
Chapter 4: The Rise of Sparta
* Summary: Sparta is another powerful Greek city-state. The Spartans are known for their military prowess, and they are the rivals of the Athenians.
* Real example: The Spartans defeat the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War, which lasts from 431 to 404 BCE. The Spartans establish their own empire, but it is not as powerful as the Athenian Empire.
Chapter 5: The Second Persian Invasion
* Summary: In 480 BCE, Xerxes I, the son of Darius I, leads a second Persian invasion of Greece. The Persian army is larger and more powerful than the Athenian army.
* Real example: The Persians defeat the Athenians at the Battle of Thermopylae, but the Athenians hold off the Persians at the Battle of Salamis.
Chapter 6: The Battle of Plataea
* Summary: In 479 BCE, the Athenians and their allies hold off the Persians at the Battle of Plataea. This is a decisive battle that ends the Persian threat to Greece.
* Real example: The Greeks defeat the Persians by using their superior tactics and weapons. The Persian army is routed, and Xerxes is forced to retreat.
Chapter 7: The Legacy of the Persian Wars
* Summary: The Persian Wars have a profound impact on the development of Greece. The wars lead to the rise of the Athenian Empire, and they also lead to the development of a new Greek identity.
* Real example: The Persian Wars help to foster a sense of unity among the Greek city-states. The Greeks begin to see themselves as a single people, and they develop a new sense of national identity.
