![Illustration of BATTLE OF PLATAEA The Greeks, led by the Spartan Pausanias, defeat a Persian army twice their size, thereby freeing Greece from the Persian menace, 479 BC](https://www.historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/spartans-plataeans-fight-persian-invaders-mh-spring-2023.jpg)
Greek spears all point outward in 479 bc as Spartans, at left, fight alongside Plataeans against Persian invaders. A half century later, however, as Athens and Sparta wrangled for supremacy, Greek allies became foes. (Chronicle (Alamy Stock Photo))
Chronicle (Alamy Stock Photo)