The Persian Wars began in 499 BCE, when Greeks in the Persian-controlled territory rose in the Ionian Revolt. Athens and other Greek cities sent aid, but were quickly forced to back down after defeat in 494 BCE.
The following decades in the Persian Wars saw various Persian
defeats at the hands of the Greeks, led by the Athenians. Silver mining
contributed to the funding of a massive Greek army that was eventually
able to rebuke Persian assaults and eventually defeat the Persians
entirely.
The end of the Persian Wars led to the rise of Athens as the leader of the Delian League.
The Peloponnesian War
can be divided into three phases: a period of Athenian raids on the
Peloponnese, the failure of an Athenian attack on Syracuse and the
destruction of its entire fleet, and the eventual defeat of the
Athenians at the hands of the Spartans in the Decelean War.
The Peloponnesian War saw the decline of Athens and the rise of Sparta in the Greek Classical world. It also brought widespread poverty to Greece and made civil war a common occurrence
Source: Boundless. “The Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War.” Boundless World History I: Ancient-1600. Boundless, 13 Apr. 2016. Retrieved 18 May. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/world-history/textbooks/boundless-world-history-i-ancient-1600-textbook/an...
