About 800 years before the rise of ancient Greek civilization, the splendid Crete civilization and Mycenae civilization were bred in the Aegean region. About 1200 BC, another Greek (Dorian) invaded Mycenae civilization. After 300 years, Greece was completely silent, closed and poor, and Greek history entered the so-called "dark age". Because the understanding of this period mainly comes from Homer's epic, it is also called Homer's era. At the end of Homer's era, ironware became popular, replacing bronze ware. Maritime trade has also been re-developed, and new city-states have been established. The Greeks created their own characters with Phoenician letters, and held the first Olympic Games in 776 BC. The Olympic Games also marked the prosperous period of ancient Greek civilization. About 750 years ago, with the increase of population, the Greeks began to colonize abroad. In the following 250 years, new Greek city-states spread all over the Mediterranean coast, including Asia Minor and North Africa. Among these cities, Sparta and Athens are the most powerful.

2. Persian War

While the Greek city-states expanded to the Mediterranean coast, the Persian Empire in West Asia also expanded, and the powerful Persian Empire conquered the Ionian Greek States in Asia Minor Peninsula. In 499 BC, Miletus and other Greek city-states in Asia Minor launched an uprising, which was supported by Athens. Darius I, king of Persia, prepared to attack Athens after suppressing the uprising. In the first 490 years, Persian troops invaded the west across the sea, but were defeated by Athenian heavy infantry in the marathon. The Greeks won the first Greek-Persian war.

480 years ago, King Xerxes I of Persia led 500,000 troops to attack Greece again. Greek city-states also formed an alliance to resist strong enemies. The army of the Greek Coalition forces is dominated by Spartans, while the navy is dominated by the Athenian fleet. The Greek army stopped the Persian army at the hot spring pass. Although defeated, it bought time for the assembly of the Greek navy. The Persians invaded Athens and burned the whole city, but the Greek navy defeated the Persian navy in the Salami naval battle. The Persians were in danger of being cut off from supplies and had to retreat. The Greeks pursued the victory and liberated the Greek States in Asia Minor. The second Greek-Persian war ended in the victory of Greece. After these battles, ancient Greece reached its peak, and then declined in the following four aspects: 1, the war between the city-states led to the exhaustion of each other's strength and the decline of their economic strength; 2. The democratic system in Athens and other city-states led to citizens' lack of diligence and slaves' constant resistance; 3. The destruction of the environment leads to the deterioration of the natural environment; 4. The destructive power of Macedonian conquest; 5. Philosophical thinking is divorced from reality and lacks motivation.