Alexander the Great wrests control of the Persian Empire from Darius III.

Three hundred Spartans and their Greek allies try to hold off a massive Persian army at a narrow pass in 480 B.C.

The Battle of Marathon halts Persian westward expansion.

The gladiator Spartacus leads a revolt of slaves against their Roman masters.

Battle of Chalons, AD 451: No ruler in history represents the barbarian brutality as much as Attila the Hun, who swept through 5th-century Europe and emerged holding its future in his grasp.

After letting Roman legions march deep into the desert, the Parthians encircle and annihilate them.