<P> Darius then began to plan to completely conquer Greece, but died in 486 BC and responsibility for the conquest passed to his son Xerxes . In 480 BC, Xerxes personally led the second Persian invasion of Greece with one of the largest ancient armies ever assembled . Victory over the allied Greek states at the famous Battle of Thermopylae allowed the Persians to torch an evacuated Athens and overrun most of Greece . However, while seeking to destroy the combined Greek fleet, the Persians suffered a severe defeat at the Battle of Salamis . The following year, the confederated Greeks went on the offensive, decisively defeating the Persian army at the Battle of Plataea, and ending the invasion of Greece by the Achaemenid Empire . </P> <P> The allied Greeks followed up their success by destroying the rest of the Persian fleet at the Battle of Mycale, before expelling Persian garrisons from Sestos (479 BC) and Byzantium (478 BC). Following the Persian withdrawal from Europe and the Greek victory at Mycale, Macedon and the city states of Ionia regained their independence . The actions of the general Pausanias at the siege of Byzantium alienated many of the Greek states from the Spartans, and the anti-Persian alliance was therefore reconstituted around Athenian leadership, called the Delian League . The Delian League continued to campaign against Persia for the next three decades, beginning with the expulsion of the remaining Persian garrisons from Europe . At the Battle of the Eurymedon in 466 BC, the League won a double victory that finally secured freedom for the cities of Ionia . However, the League's involvement in an Egyptian revolt (from 460--454 BC) resulted in a disastrous defeat, and further campaigning was suspended . A Greek fleet was sent to Cyprus in 451 BC, but achieved little, and when it withdrew the Greco - Persian Wars drew to a quiet end . Some historical sources suggest the end of hostilities was marked by a peace treaty between Athens and Persia, the Peace of Callias . </P> <P> Almost all the primary sources for the Greco - Persian Wars are Greek; there are no surviving historical accounts from the Persian side . By some distance, the main source for the Greco - Persian Wars is the Greek historian Herodotus . Herodotus, who has been called the "Father of History", was born in 484 BC in Halicarnassus, Asia Minor (then part of the Persian empire). He wrote his' Enquiries' (Greek Historia, English (The) Histories) around 440--430 BC, trying to trace the origins of the Greco - Persian Wars, which would still have been recent history . Herodotus's approach was novel and, at least in Western society, he invented' history' as a discipline . As historian Tom Holland has it, "For the first time, a chronicler set himself to trace the origins of a conflict not to a past so remote so as to be utterly fabulous, nor to the whims and wishes of some god, nor to a people's claim to manifest destiny, but rather explanations he could verify personally ." </P> <P> Some later ancient historians, starting with Thucydides, criticised Herodotus and his methods . Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off (at the Siege of Sestos) and felt Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting . Plutarch criticised Herodotus in his essay "On The Malignity of Herodotus", describing Herodotus as "Philobarbaros" (barbarian - lover) for not being pro-Greek enough, which suggests that Herodotus might actually have done a reasonable job of being even - handed . A negative view of Herodotus was passed on to Renaissance Europe, though he remained well read . However, since the 19th century his reputation has been dramatically rehabilitated by archaeological finds that have repeatedly confirmed his version of events . The prevailing modern view is that Herodotus did a remarkable job in his Historia, but that some of his specific details (particularly troop numbers and dates) should be viewed with skepticism . Nevertheless, there are still some historians who believe Herodotus made up much of his story . </P>

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