A systematic reconstruction of the early Greco-Persian conflicts that combines close reading of surviving literary sources with on-the-ground topographical surveys and maps. The author narrates the sequence of preliminary actions and major engagements—including the Ionian revolt and the coastal and mainland battles that decided the struggle—while scrutinizing the reliability of ancient accounts and distinguishing solid military detail from conjecture about motives. Arguments and specialist notes support revisions of accepted views, and illustrations and site observations are used to test and refine the historical narrative.