Figures of the Persian Wars

Aeschylus

• Aeschylus was a Greek poet who wrote the Persae, a play that gave an account of the second Persian invasion of Greece and the battle of Salamis, in which he may have been a participant. He was also a combatant at Marathon.

Aristagoras

• Aristagoras ruled Miletus, but was subject to Persian authority. He was the ambassador sent to mainland Greece seeking aid in the Ionian revolt against Persia.

Aristides (530?-486? B.C.)

• Aristides was an Athenian statesman and general. He was one of ten generals who commanded the Athenians at Marathon. He was ostracized in 483 B.C. when he opposed the naval plans of Themistocles. However, he did co-command the Greek at Salamis in 480 B.C., and commanded the Athenian army at Plataea in 479 B.C.

Artaphernes

• Artaphernes shared command of the Persian fleet that sailed to Eretria and Marathon after Mardonius was relieved of command following the disaster at Mount Athos.

Artemisia

• Artemisia was a Greek princess who ruled Harlicarnassus. She fought at Salamis on behalf of the Persians, but seemed to change allegiances as the situation demanded.

Callimachus (-490 B.C.)

• Callimachus was a polemarch of Athens. He was persuaded by Miltiades into casting the deciding vote in favor of prompt military action against the invading Persian army. He died in battle at Marathon.

Cimon (-450 B.C.)

• Cimon was an Athenian general and son of Miltiades. He shared command of the Greek fleet at Salamis with Aristides. Together, the two formed the Delian League in 478-477 B.C. He defeated Persian forces on the Eurymedon river in south Asia Minor c. 467 B.C. He died in battle while besieging the remaining Persian fleet at Citium in Cyprus in 450 B.C.

Croesus

• Croesus was the king of Lydia. He subjugated the Greek Ionian colonies in 560 B.C. His reign over the Ionian Greeks came to an end in 546 B.C. when Persia captured Sardis, the Lydian capital.

Cyrus the Great

• Cyrus the Great founded the Persian empire in 559 B.C. when he rebelled and conquered the Medes. The roots of the Persian Wars stretch back to his reign when in 546 B.C. Cyrus defeated Croesus, king of Lydia, capturing the Lydian capital of Sardis. Go here for more information concerning Cyrus the Great.

Darius

• Darius became the emperor of Persia in 521 B.C. He headed the first invasion of Greece in 492 B.C. as he sought to exact retribution against Athens and Eretria for their assistance of the Ionians during their revolt against Persia. Darius' invasion was halted in 490 B.C. when his army was defeated at Marathon. He died in 486 B.C. while planning a second invasion of Greece.

Datis

• Datis shared command of the Persian fleet that sailed to Eretria and Marathon after Mardonius was relieved of command following the disaster at Mount Athos.

Harpagus

• Harpagus was a general under the command of Cyrus the Great. He completed the subjugation of the Aegean coast.

Herodotus (c. 484 B.C.-c. 424 B.C.)

• Herodotus was a Greek historian who narrated the Persian Wars continuously.

Hippias

• Hippias was a benevolent despot of Athens. He was expelled from Athens with the aid of Sparta in 510 B.C. He then took refuge with Darius, emperor of Persia. Hippias accompanied the Persian fleet under Darius in hopes of being reinstated to his throne.

Leonidas

• Leonidas is considered to be one of the greatest heroes of Greek history. He became a king of Sparta c. 491 B.C. when he seceded his brother, Cleomenes I. Leonidas led a stalwart and suicidal defensive battle at Thermopylae in 480 B.C. against a massive Persian force.

Mardonius

• Mardonius was a Persian general under the command of Xerxes during Persia's second invasion of Greece. He was also the son-in-law of Darius. He commanded the Persian fleet that met with disaster on the rocks of Mount Athos during the first invasion of Greece in 492 B.C. Xerxes left Mardonius to complete the conquest of mainland Greece during the second invasion, but he was defeated and slain at Plataea in 479 B.C.

Masistius

• Masistius was the commander of the Persian cavalry at Plataea. He died while assaulting the Greek line at Plataea after he was thrown from his horse and surrounded by Greek spearmen. His death caused much grief among the Persians.

Miltiades (-489 B.C.)

• Miltiades commanded the victorious Athenian army at Marathon. Afterwards he was granted command of the Athenian fleet. He abused his power in a personal campaign against supposed Persian sympathizers in Paros. His abuse of his powers led to his eventual prosecution and imprisonment in Athens where he would die of wounds received during the campaign.

Pausanias (-470 B.C.)

• Pausanias was a Spartan general and nephew of Leonidas, king of Sparta. He commanded the victorious Greek forces at Plataea.

Pleistarchus (c. 480-458 B.C.)

• Pleistarchus was the son of Leonidas. He became king of Sparta upon his father's death.

Plutarch (46-119 A.D.)

• Plutarch was a Greek writer. His most famous work is Bioi paralleloi (Parallel Lives) which included accounts of the Persian Wars.

Themistocles

• Themistocles was an Athenian statesman. He was a proponent of building a naval fleet to face the Persians at Salamis.

Thucydides

• Athenian

Xerxes

• Xerxes became the emperor of Persia after the death of his father, Darius, in 486 B.C. He took up where his father left off and invaded Greece in 480 B.C. He departed mainland Greece after his fleet was defeated at Salamis and left Mardonius to complete the conquest.