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The '''Greco-Persian Wars''', also known as the '''Medic Wars''' (500 [[BC]]-448 [[BC]]) were a series of conflicts fought between the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] [[Achaemenid Empire]] (in modern [[Iran]]) and the Greek city-states (most notably [[Athens]] and [[Sparta]]). The war may be best known for the [[Battle of Thermopylae]], which has given birth to many cultural references even to this day.
==History==
The roots of the Greco-Persian Wars lie in 545 [[BC]], when the Achaemenid Empire conquered and annexed Ionia. While none of the Greek city-states risked sending military units to defend Ionia, the Spartans did send a message to king [[Cyrus the Great]], warning him to stay away from mainland Greece. Upon hearing this message, Cyrus famously replied "Who are the Spartans?".
Cyrus did not heed the Spartan message. In 514 [[BC]], the Persians conquered [[Thrace]] and [[Macedonia]], angering the Greeks. Ionia had been seen by Cyrus as a logical expansion of the Achaemenid Empire, though Ionia was culturally and tradionally connected to the other Greek-speaking lands around the [[Aegean Sea]].
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