Why have the Persian Wars retained their status as a paragon of warfare since ancient times, particularly within the Western milieu? This study delves into the intricate process of shaping this perception across history, specifically focusing on the pivotal role played by the Athenian ephebeia in upholding, reimagining, and transmitting the collective memory of the Persian Wars. The study investigates how the reconfiguration of the ephebeia after the liberation from Macedonian control in 229 BCE influenced the glorification and reinterpretation of the Persian Wars. Beyond military and physical training, the act of conveying historical narratives within the education of the ephebes held immense importance. The commemoration of the Persian Wars, nurtured and rejuvenated annually through the vehicle of the ephebeia, endured well into the Roman era. From the late second century BCE onward, the ephebeia served not only as a training ground for Athenian youth but also for young elites from foreign origins, notably the Romans. Through the conduit of the ephebeia, the recollection of Athenian achievements during the Persian Wars expanded its reach beyond the boundaries of Athens, extending its influence into the realms of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds.
