King Cyrus followed a policy of acceptance towards the people he conquered. For example, when he conquered the Medes, he still kept both Median and Persian officials in the government. He also allowed conquered peoples to keep their religious and cultural traditions.  This can be seen in the way he treated the Hebrews after his conquest of Babylon. His acceptance for others led him to create the Charter of Human Rights, which could be compared in some ways to the U.S.'s Bill of Rights.  It guaranteed certain rights to his people.  Additionally, he did not allow slavery within his empire.  At that time in history, it was not common for a ruler to do this.  

Darius vowed revenge but died before he could act on it.  His son, Xerxes [zurk-seez], took over the empire.

In 480 B.C.E., Xerxes marched west and then turned south. His forces overwhelmed several Greek city-states. Hearing the news, Athens and Sparta decided to work together to fight the enemy. Their strategy had two parts. The Athenian navy would try to stop the Persian navy. In the meantime, the Spartan king, Leonidas (lee-ON-ih-duhs), would try to stop the Persian army. 

Some three to four thousand Greeks put aside their differences and stationed themselves at Thermopylae, where they chose Leonidas from the city-state of Sparta as their leader. With him were 300 Spartan soldiers, whom he had personally selected. The Greeks waited at Thermopylae for reinforcements from the Peloponnesus. While they waited, news reached Leonidas that one million Persians were quickly moving towards Thermopylae. Many of the Greeks favored retreating; others, however, feared that their cities would be at the mercy of the enemy. After some debate, the Greeks decided to stay, and Leonidas and his 300 stood at the front. The rest of the Greeks were stationed behind Leonidas along the path.  

The Spartans made their stand at Thermopylae (ther-MOP-uh-lee). At this site, the Persian army would have to go through a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea. Leonidas had only about 6,000 to 7,000 soldiers to stop the Persians. Even so, when the Persians got to the pass, the Greeks drove them back. Xerxes sent more men, only to have many killed and others return wounded. He then ordered his Immortals, or expert soldiers, to attack. The Spartans lined up side by side in a row, their shields covering them from knees to chin. Because the Thermopylae pass was narrow, the Persians could not attack from either left or right. Some time later, the Immortals returned to Xerxes, defeated. 

This fighting lasted one or two days until a Greek spy approached Xerxes. The spy told the emperor about a secret pass that would lead the Persian troops behind the Spartans. Xerxes was delighted with the news, and that night the Persian army set out. The soldiers advanced along the pass and then waited for Xerxes’ orders. Meanwhile, Leonidas, having found out that the Persians had the advantage, ordered the rest of the Greeks to retreat, leaving him with his 300.

When morning dawned, Leonidas moved along the pass to wait for the Persian army. Finally, the two groups met in a battle that left Leonidas and all 300 Spartans dead.  Legend says that the Spartans fought until every weapon was broken. Then they fought with their hands. In the end, all the Spartan soldiers were killed. The Persians’ strategy had worked. By having the advantage of the path through the mountains, the Persians were able to surround the Spartans and win the battle. They could now advance to Athens.

Once the Persians had defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae, they marched north towards Athens.

They attacked every city they encountered. They plundered the towns, and took everything they

could from the inhabitants. Whatever they could not take, they destroyed. 

Meanwhile, the Greek navy under the command of the Athenian general named Themistocles stayed in a small, enclosed harbor. One day in September 480 BC, Themistocles decided to send a messenger to Xerxes. The messenger told Xerxes that Themistocles wished to switch sides and give control of his navy to Persia. Xerxes had used Greek spies before and thought this might prove to be a great offer.

He felt that with the Athenians on his side, he would be able to defeat the rest of the Greek navy. He sent his navy back to the Bay at Salamis to meet with the Athenians. He set his throne on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Salamis to watch as his navy encountered the Athenians. When the Persian ships sailed into the bay to meet the Athenians, however, the Greeks attacked them. The Greek warships, called triremes, were larger than the Persian vessels. The Persians were unable to get around the Greek navy and became trapped. They were rammed by the triremes, and their smaller ships were tossed about by a strong wind that swept across the bay. The Greek warships also trapped Artemisia’s ship. Quickly, she developed a battle plan. She knew the only way she could escape with her crew would be to pretend she had switched sides. She ordered her ship to ram a fellow Persian ship in an attempt to flee the bay. Thinking she was an ally, the Greeks did not chase her. She was able to escape and save the lives of her crew. The rest of the Persian admirals fled the bay but were pursued by the Greeks who, in the end, destroyed half the Persian fleet.