Why are the Persian Wars important to the Greeks?

  • The only time the city-states of Ancient Greece rallied to a common cause
  • Therefore, a formative event in the understanding of Greek identity (not least, because it was defined as not-barbarian)
    • Leaving out the inconvenient fact that the Greeks of Ionia had long accommodated themselves to Persian rule
  • A formative event in the history of writing history—it was the driver behind Herodotus; and hence, in the history of writing Greek history
  • A defensive war that the Greeks won (so, a Good War)
Answered 2016-08-10 · Upvoted by

Amir Davis, Military Officer, War Veteran.

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