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An ancient realm, wealthy and strong

The largest empire the earth had seen

Stretching across the whole known world

The most advanced society there had been

Under the rule of the king of kings

Many nations subjugated by its might

For centuries the empire throve

Until on Greece the kings set their sight

Darius the Great conquered many lands

Made many Greek cities part of his domains

But rebellion broke out in 499 BC

The Greeks fighting the Persian chains

The Persians were defeated at Marathon

But war would continue for many a year

Darius' son Xerxes once again invaded

Yet his massive army the Greeks did not fear

Xerxes managed to sack and loot Athens

But his massive invasion was ill-fated

The Persian navy crushed at Salamis

At Plataea and Mycale his army obliterated

The tides of war had decisively turned

The empire's territory in Europe gone

Through shifting and uneasy alliances

To their influence in Greece they held on

Xenophon's march opened many Greek

eyes

To the wealth and weakness of the empire

The Greeks boldly went on the offensive

Soon the Persian realm to go down in fire

Rebellion weakened the once great realm

While the Greeks for once stood as one

United behind the Macedon king

The last king of kings soon to be gone

Glory at Granicus and Gaugamela

The capital city fell in 330 BC

Alexander crushed all the foe's forces

Of the Persian yoke the Greeks now free