Persia, Greece and Western Mediterranean. About 525-479 BC.

covered by this volume (Volume IV), the period of such events and such historical changes that had a tremendous significance for the Mediterranean world. The first part of the book considers the early history of the Medes and Persians, the emergence and strengthening of the Persian power, the main regions that were part of it, as well as the history of its expansion during the reign of Kira, Darius and Xerxes - up to the moment when this great empire reached the limits of its growth. The second part is dedicated to the history of Hellas, where during the period under consideration, Sparta turned into the leader of the military-political coalition of Greek city-states, and Athens went from enlightened tyranny to moderate democracy with its entrepreneurial activity and political vision. The clash between the Persian Empire, which almost reached the natural limits of its expansion, and the union of freedom -loving and on the rise of Greek policies was inevitable. The most important chapters of this book sets out the causes and course of the uprising of Ionian Greeks against Persian domination, as well as the history of two Persian invasions in Hellas, including three epic battles - marathon, farmopilian and Salamin. The third part of the volume is facing the Western Mediterranean, while the presentation goes beyond the chronological framework indicated in the title of the book. In the history of this region, Italy is gradually becoming a very important factor, therefore the Italian peoples and their languages ​​from the late bronze to the Iron Age, as well as Etruscans and their culture, are being considered here. The final chapter is devoted to Sicily: to the local tribes who inhabited the island since ancient times, the social, economic and cultural development of the main Greek colonies, the emergence and strengthening of tyrannical regimes, as well as the first clash between the Greeks and the Punis, which ended in the Greek cities in which Greek cities-states Under the leadership of Gelon of Syrakuz and Feron of Akrana, they managed to repel the Carthage attack.