Showcases the plan of Themistocles plan to thwart the invasion of Xerxes. Athen is to evacuated to then lure the Persian Navy into a trap near Salamis where the powerful Greek triremes can catch them unprepared.

Recounts the Athenian victory, with its hoplite warfare, at the Battle of Marathon in the first Persian invasion of Greece and the messenger Pheidippides who sought allies and later proclaimed the Athenian victory.

Describes Ancient Greek belief in the prophecies of the Pythia, or high priestess at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, also known as the Oracle. Greeks would go to the Oracle with all sorts of questions, from the mundane to the spiritual and political.

In the wake of the Persian Wars Athens, as the leading member of the Greek Delian League, thrives and becomes a preeminent city in the Mediterranean.

Highlights the importance of drama as shared entertainment for ancient Greeks, who built theaters in all of their major cities and were particularly drawn to tragedies.