Pedzisa mutsara unotevera: MuIonia (mhenderekedzo yegungwa reAegean yemazuva ano yeTurkey) maguta echiGiriki, ayo aisanganisira nzvimbo huru dzakadai seMiletus neHalicarnassus, akakundikana kuchengetedza kuzvimiririra kwawo uye akauya pasi pokutonga kwoUmambo hwePersia pakati pezana ramakore rechi6 BC. Muna 499 BC vaGiriki vakasimuka muIonian Revolt, uye Athene nemamwe maguta echiGiriki akaenda kunovabatsira. Muna 490 BC, Mambo Mukuru wePersia, Dhariusi I, apedza kudzvinyirira maguta eIonia, akatumira ngarava kuti arange vaGiriki. VaPersia vakamhara muAttica, asi vakakundwa pa
Hondo yeMarathon yakaitwa neuto rechiGiriki raitungamirirwa nomukuru mukuru weAtene Miltiades. Gomo romakuva revakafa veAtene richiri kuoneka paMarathon. Makore gumi gare gare mutsivi waDhariusi, Xerxes I, akatumira hondo ine simba zvikuru nomugungwa. Pashure pokunonoka naMambo weSpartan Leonidas I paThermopylae, Xerxes akaenda kuAttica, kwaakatora ndokupisa Atene. Asi vaAtene vakanga vabvisa guta racho nomugungwa, uye pasi paThemistocles vakakurira ngarava dzePersia muHondo yeSalamis. Kwapera gore, vaGiriki, vachitungamirirwa naPausanias wokuSparta, vakakunda uto rePezhiya paPlataea. Ngarava dzeAtene dzakabva dzatanga kudzinga vaPezhiya muGungwa reAegean, uye muna 478 BC dzakatora Byzantium. Mukuita kudaro Atene akanyoresa nyika dzose dzezvitsuwa nedzimwe dzakabatana nenyika huru musungano, yainzi Delian League nemhaka yokuti pfuma yayo yaichengetwa pachitsuwa chitsvene cheDelos. VaSpartan, kunyange zvazvo vakanga vapinda muhondo yacho, vakazviparadzanisa nayo, vachibvumira Atene kuva nesimba risingadziviswi rengarava uye rokutengeserana.