By Gabe
October 29, 2018

Although there were countless wars in ancient times, the Second Persian War is famous because it was filled with intrigue. In 480 B.C., Xerxes who was bratty, belligerent, and brash selfishly, tried to conquer Athens finishing his father’s failed try at vanquishing the prestigious city. So, Xerxes organized an enormous army. Because Greece needed to defeat Persia, all the city-states including Sparta joined together. Both Greece and Persia fought at a key point called Thermopylae for three days largely due to the efforts of the 300 brave Spartan warriors until a Greek traitor told Xerxes about a secret mountain passage. So the Greeks lost the battle, but it gave the populace of Athens time to flee. Xerxes and his men reached Athens, which had been deserted, so the Persian invaders burnt it. A Greek man pretended to be a traitor and gave Xerxes terrible advice, convincing the king to lure his ships into a trap. After the devastating battle, Xerxes bellowed irately, “Drop dead, you darn Greeks!” This fierce war for Xerxes’ father will forever be remembered in ancient history.