==Preliminary contacts between Persia and mainland Greece (507 BC)==

[[File:Ceremony of Presenting Earth and Water.jpg|thumb|According to [[Herodotus]], the Athenians, hoping for protection against [[Sparta]], made the gift of "[[Earth and Water]]" to the Persians in 507 BC.<ref name="penelope.uchicago.edu">{{Cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Herodotus/5C*.html|title=LacusCurtius • Herodotus — Book V: Chapters 55‑96|website=penelope.uchicago.edu}}</ref>]]

In 507 BC, [[Artaphernes]], as brother of [[Darius I]] and Satrap of [[Asia Minor]] in his capital [[Sardis]], received an embassy from newly democratic [[Athens]], probably sent by [[Cleisthenes]], which was looking for Persian assistance in order to resist the threats from [[Sparta]].<ref name="MW84">{{cite book |last1=Waters |first1=Matt |title=Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE |date=2014 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781107009608 |pages=84–85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EjhEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA84 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="MW123">{{cite book |last1=Waters |first1=Matt |title=Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE |date=2014 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781107009608 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EjhEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA123 |language=en}}</ref> [[Herodotus]] reports that Artaphernes had no previous knowledge of the Athenians, and his initial reaction was "Who are these people?".<ref name="MW84"/> Artaphernes asked the Athenians for "Water and Earth", a symbol of submission, if they wanted help from the Achaemenid king.<ref name="MW123"/> The Athenians ambassadors apparently accepted to comply, and to give "Earth and Water".<ref name="MW84"/> Artaphernes also advised the Athenians that they should receive back the Athenian [[tyrant]] [[Hippias (son of Pisistratus)|Hippias]]. The Persians threatened to attack Athens if they did not accept Hippias. Nevertheless, the Athenians preferred to remain democratic despite the danger from Persia, and the ambassadors were disavowed and censured upon their return to Athens.<ref name="MW84"/>