The Persian Wars (490–449 bce), also known as the Greco–Persian Wars, pitted a vast and cosmopolitan empire against a small band of city-states in the south of Greece. The conflict profoundly influenced the development of Classical Greek identity and culture, leaving a vivid trail in Western literature and myth. By contrast, the story of the Persian Achaemenid Empire remains comparatively neglected, belying the significance of that great Middle Eastern civilization.