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Asiatic troops who had never been called upon to resist
such an enemy。
That night the people of Athens watched the sky grow
red with the flames of burning ships。 Anxiously they waited
for news。 At last a little cloud of dust appeared upon the
road that led to the North。 It was Pheidippides； the runner。
He stumbled and gasped for his end was near。 Only a few
days before had he returned from his errand to Sparta。 He
had hastened to join Miltiades。 That morning he had taken
part in the attack and later he had volunteered to carry the
news of victory to his beloved city。 The people saw him fall
and they rushed forward to support him。 ‘‘We have won；''
he whispered and then he died； a glorious death which made him
envied of all men。
As for the Persians； they tried； after this defeat； to land
near Athens but they found the coast guarded and disappeared；
and once more the land of Hellas was at peace。
Eight years they waited and during this time the Greeks
were not idle。 They knew that a final attack was to be expected
but they did not agree upon the best way to avert the danger。
Some people wanted to increase the army。 Others said that
a strong fleet was necessary for success。 The two parties led by
Aristides （for the army） and Themistocles （the leader of the
bigger…navy men） fought each other bitterly and nothing was
done until Aristides was exiled。 Then Themistocles had his
chance and he built all the ships he could and turned the Piraeus
into a strong naval base。
In the year 481 B。C。 a tremendous Persian army appeared
in Thessaly； a province of northern Greece。 In this hour of
danger； Sparta； the great military city of Greece； was elected
commander…in…chief。 But the Spartans cared little what happened
to northern Greece provided their own country was not
invaded； They neglected to fortify the passes that led into
Greece。
A small detachment of Spartans under Leonidas had been
told to guard the narrow road between the high mountains and
the sea which connected Thessaly with the southern provinces。
Leonidas obeyed his orders。 He fought and held the pass with
unequalled bravery。 But a traitor by the name of Ephialtes
who knew the little byways of Malis guided a regiment of Persians
through the hills and made it possible for them to attack
Leonidas in the rear。 Near the Warm Wellsthe Thermopylae
a terrible battle was fought。
When night came Leonidas and his faithful soldiers lay dead
under the corpses of their enemies。
But the pass had been lost and the greater part of Greece
fell into the hands of the Persians。 They marched upon
Athens； threw the garrison from the rocks of the Acropolis and
burned the city。 The people fled to the Island of Salamis。 All
seemed lost。 But on the 20th of September of the year 480
Themistocles forced the Persian fleet to give battle within the
narrow straits which separated the Island of Salamis from the
mainland and within a few hours he destroyed three quarters
of the Persian ships。
In this way the victory of Thermopylae came to naught。
Xerxes was forced to retire。 The next year； so he decreed；
would bring a final decision。 He took his troops to Thessaly
and there he waited for spring。
But this time the Spartans understood the seriousness of
the hour。 They left the safe shelter of the wall which they had
built across the isthmus of Corinth and under the leadership
of Pausanias they marched against Mardonius the Persian
general。 The united Greeks （some one hundred thousand men
from a dozen different cities） attacked the three hundred thou…
sand men of the enemy near Plataea。 Once more the heavy
Greek infantry broke through the Persian barrage of arrows。
The Persians were defeated； as they had been at Marathon； and
this time they left for good。 By a strange coincidence； the
same day that the Greek armies won their victory near Plataea；
the Athenian ships destroyed the enemy's fleet near Cape Mycale
in Asia Minor。
Thus did the first encounter between Asia and Europe end。
Athens had covered herself with glory and Sparta had fought
bravely and well。 If these two cities had been able to come to
an agreement； if they had been willing to forget their little
jealousies； they might have become the leaders of a strong and
united Hellas。
But alas； they allowed the hour of victory and enthusiasm
to slip by； and the same opportunity never returned。
ATHENS vs。 SPARTA
HOW ATHENS AND SPARTA FOUGHT A LONG
AND DISASTROUS WAR FOR THE LEADERSHIP
OF GREECE
ATHENS and Sparta were both Greek cities and their people
spoke a common language。 In every other respect they were
different。 Athens rose high from the plain。 It was a city
exposed to the fresh breezes from the sea； willing to look at
the world with the eyes of a happy child。 Sparta； on the other
hand； was built at the bottom of a deep valley； and used the
surrounding mountains as a barrier against foreign thought。
Athens was a city of busy trade。 Sparta was an armed camp
where people were soldiers for the sake of being soldiers。 The
people of Athens loved to sit in the sun and discuss poetry or
listen to the wise words of a philosopher。 The Spartans； on the
other hand； never wrote a single line that was considered literature；
but they knew how to fight； they liked to fight； and they
sacrificed all human emotions to their ideal of military preparedness。
No wonder that these sombre Spartans viewed the success
of Athens with malicious hate。 The energy which the defence of
the common home had developed in Athens was now used for
purposes of a more peaceful nature。 The Acropolis was rebuilt
and was made into a marble shrine to the Goddess Athena。
Pericles； the leader of the Athenian democracy； sent far and
wide to find famous sculptors and painters and scientists to
make the city more beautiful and the young Athenians more
worthy of their home。 At the same time he kept a watchful
eye on Sparta and built high walls which connected Athens
with the sea and made her the strongest fortress of that day。
An insignificant quarrel between two little Greek cities led
to the final conflict。 For thirty years the war between Athens
and Sparta continued。 It ended in a terrible disaster for
Athens。
During the third year of the war the plague had entered
the city。 More than half of the people and Pericles； the great
leader； had been killed。 The plague was followed by a period
of bad and untrustworthy leadership。 A brilliant young fellow
by the name of Alcibiades had gained the favor of the
popular assembly。 He suggested a raid upon the Spartan
colony of Syracuse in Sicily。 An expedition was equipped and
everything was ready。 But Alcibiades got mixed up in a street
brawl and was forced to flee。 The general who succeeded him
was a bungler。 First he lost his ships and then he lost his
army； and the few surviving Athenians were thrown into the
stone…quarries