While the crossing of the Hellespont marked the Persians’ entry into Greece, the Athenians and Spartans united in Greece in preparation for the impending war. Herodotus then describes the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) led by the Spartan King Leonidas I. The Greek forces valiantly resisted the Persian forces, exemplified by the legendary stand of the 300 Spartans, yet ultimately succumbed to defeat. Concurrent with the Thermopylae battle was the Battle at Artemisium (480 BCE). Although the battle ended in a stalemate, the Greek navy employed strategic military tactics and injured the Persians significantly. Herodotus later records the decisive naval Battle of Salamis (480 BCE). Led by the Athenian general Themistocles, the united Greek navy inflicted heavy losses upon the Persians. Disheartened by the Persian defeat, Xerxes I retreated with the majority of his army, leaving Persian general Mardonius in the Greek territory for future combat. The climax of the Greco-Persian War was the Battle at Plataea (479 BCE). Led by Spartan general Pausanias, the united Greek forces defeated Mardonius' Persian forces. The victory of this battle marked the end of the Persian conquer and solidified the independence of the Greek city-states. The book concludes with a thoughtful recollection from Cyrus (A Persian king of earlier times who ruled between 559 and 530 BCE).