pHistory begins with Herodotus 485-425 b.c.e.. Born in Halikarnassos, a gateway between the Greek and Persian worlds, Herodotus in his emHistoriesem narrates the great historical struggle between the Persian Empire and the Greek-speaking city-states at the dawn of the classical era. Herodotus does not merely list events or tell tales his history inquires into the causes of events and casts its net wide to include ethnography and legend as well as political and military history.br br Book V of the emHistoriesem focuses on the Persians and their expansion into Thrakia and Makedonia, as well as their conflict with the Greeks of Ionia. Beginning in the timeless legends of prehistory, Herodotus discusses the customs of the Thrakians, offers insight into Sparta's mindset, and narrates the struggle to restore democracy at Athens after the reign of the tyrant Peisistratos.br br The narrative of Book V sprawls over Asia, Africa, and Europe, naming more than 350 people and places. The reader