Greece was not alone in the ancient World. Egypt was flourishing. Other civilizations were developing around the Mediterranean. One of the largest and most powerful was the Persian Empire.  The Persian Empire was huge. It stretched from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to the Indus River in Pakistan.  The Greek Empire was tiny. It covered the small area of the Greek peninsula under the word Greece on the map above.  When Persia turned her eyes on Greece, they had no doubt that the Greeks would be easy to conquer. They were so outnumbered - what chance did they have? What the Persians forgot was that the Greeks were incredible warriors. Athens had a wonderful navy, with ships that were tiny and easy to maneuver. The Spartan army was fierce.   The Persians came three times, each time convinced that they could easily conquer ancient Greece. Each time, the Greeks drove them away. During the third battle, the Greek navy led was able to toss burning wood aboard the huge and heavy Persian ships. The men had to abandon ship. Those who made it to shore were greeted by the Spartan army.  The Greeks took the day. The Persian threat to ancient Greece was ended.  The Battle of Marathon Ancient Greek Wars The Persian War Persian Wars Xerxes (Persian Wars Interactive) Free Ancient Greece Presentations in PowerPoint format  To learn more about Ancient Greece, click on Apollo