Education

Wars and Important Battles

By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide

Many consider ancient history little more than a series of battles and wars. While not true, there were myriad battles and wars. Here you'll find information on the main ones, especially for those living in the Mediterranean region, like the Greeks and Romans.

Greek Wars and Battles
Roman Wars and Battles
Trojan War

Persian Wars
Peloponnesian War
Egyptian Wars and Battles

Greek Wars and Battles

Greek history is marked out by the major battles and wars. The first of them, the Trojan War, preceded the historical record.

Roman Wars and Battles

Roman history was punctuated with almost yearly campaigns. Some of these were like gang turf wars, but others were significant. Over time Rome developed its fighters into a well-oiled machine that dominated the Mediterranean by the end of the second century B.C.

Trojan War

Although the Trojan War is known mostly through myth and legend, it was an important starting point for the history of Greece.

Persian Wars

The Greeks fought the Persians under two kings in a series of battles. One of the most famous of the battles is the Battle at Thermopylae, the basis for the movie 300. Salamis was another important battle. After the Persians left Greece, the Athenians had to rebuild Athens, which they did with the held of the Delian League. Soon Athens became a threat and the Greeks went to war with each. That was the Peloponnesian War.

Peloponnesian War

The Peloponnesian War was fought between the allies of Athens and the allies of Sparta. Between the war and its aftermath, the Peloponnesian War left Greece sufficiently weakened for Philip of Macedonia and his son Alexander the Great to take control.

Egyptian Wars and Battles

Tuthmosis III basalt statue in Luxor Museum

The Egyptians recorded in great detail a battle they may not have won.

Ancient / Classical History