Some say Themistocles was the most successful general in antiquity and some say he was just another one of those successful public figures. All in all he had many, many successful events in his life. Now you might be wondering who this Themistocles really is? Well, let's start with his background. Themistocles was a man like any other man in ancient Greece, power-hungry, strong and loving life. Themistocles was a powerful general and politician who fought in the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. Themistocles showed true leadership during his lifetime. He was from ancient Athens, Greece, and lived from "524 BC to 459 BC". He was born in Athens, Greece and eventually ended up dying in Persia, the country he had defeated years earlier. Interestingly, he only ended up in Persia because he was ostracized by his own people. But before we reveal too much, let's start at the very beginning. Once upon a time there was a man named Themistocles. “Over the years he became very popular in the political field. He was one of the first to be part of the new Athenian democracy founded by Cleisthenes." "He was influenced primarily in politics by his father, Neocles, and in 493 Themistocles was elected Archon in Athens." “Themistocles came from a rich family but, even though they were rich, he didn't really have a mother, Neocles married a concubine who presumably wasn't even Athenian. His name was Abrotonon. " But later he became general of the Athenian army. Themistocles was very popular for his strategy and ability to come up with a good plan when necessary. The first battle in which Themistocles fought was the Battle of Marathon, one of the three battles of the Persian Wars . That war there was a man named Pheidippides who...... center of paper...... Encyclopedia Britannica, nd Web. November 24, 2013. Sentence modified, paraphrased from: "The Internet Classics Archive | Plutarch's Themistocles." The Internet Classics Archive | Plutarch's Themistocles. Np, nd Web. November 25, 2013. Modified sentence, paraphrased from: Themistocles." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, November 13, 2013. Web. November 24, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themistocles All information by Dr. Heckel unless indicated Heckel, Dr.. "Notes on Themistocles Class" N/A . Heritage Classical Christian Academy, St. Louis November 13, 2011. Classroom lesson.