490 BC. King Darius of Persia has brought about a golden age, a world of prosperity and peace. He would make the Greeks part of that greater nation, if they would just lay down their spears and shields - and call him king. The people of Athens have known tyrants before. Instead of kings, they have the Assembly, where each man can vote and be heard. Though a vast empire shakes the earth, they will not give up what they have won. When the enemy comes, Athenians march to a place known as Marathon. Those present will set the path for all Greece: Aeschylus the playwright, Themistocles the self-made man, Aristides the Just - and Xanthippus, father to Pericles. In time, another son of Persia will decide their fates. He will bring a great host, a leviathan of land and sea. Yet as waves crash against the shore at Thermopylae, a small force may yet choose to stand against him--and refuse to give away.
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