Battle of Marathon
490 BCE, Athenian and Plataean forces defeated the Persian invasion led by Darius I in a decisive battle that proved the Persians could be beaten
Battle of Thermopylae
480 BCE, Spartan King Leonidas and a small Greek force, including 300 Spartans, held off the vastly larger Persian army under Xerxes in a narrow pass, delaying Persian advance despite eventual defeat
Battle of Artemisium
480 BCE, A naval battle fought simultaneously with Thermopylae where the Greek fleet faced the Persian navy; although tactically inconclusive, it played a part in the Greek defense strategy
Battle of Salamis
480 BCE, A major naval battle where the smaller, more maneuverable Greek fleet defeated the larger Persian navy, forcing Xerxes to retreat
Battle of Plataea
479 BCE, Greek forces led by Pausanias routed the remaining Persian army under Mardonius, decisively ending the Persian land campaign
Battle of Mycale
479 BCE, A naval and land battle where Greek forces destroyed the remnants of the Persian fleet and army in Ionia, marking the end of the Persian naval threat.
