Definition: Mardonius was an Achaemenid general and nephew of the Persian king Darius. Near the start of the Persian Wars, Mardonius was sent to replace Artaphernes in Ionia and to attack Athens and Eretria in 492 B.C. His next commission was to invade Thrace and Macedonia where he suffered a setback and lost his command.
Herodotus says Mardonius encouraged Xerxes to invade Greece.
Mardonius was killed during the Battle at Plataea in September 479.
