Inferiority of middle eastern militaries in the ancient world?

[Hax]

A ground force of hundreds of thousands and a navy of hundreds of ships isn't a trivial amount.

The armies that were sent to Greece constituted about half of the total Persian armed forces, IIRC.

[Montmorency]

The armies that were sent to Greece constituted about half of the total Persian armed forces, IIRC.

There you go. One doesn't commit half of one's military resources to resolve such a minor matter.

[Hax]

There you go. One doesn't commit half of one's military resources to resolve such a minor matter.

Naturally, but it was not just a minor matter, it was a punitive expedition. However, it should be realised that the Persians were very much capable of crushing the Greeks. There were simply other things that did not allow them to do so at the time.

[Montmorency]

Well, if Syracuse sided decisively with the Greeks, maybe not even the full Persian force would not have been able to defeat the Greeks. And other such hypotheticals.

My point was that we shouldn't diminish the importance of the war in the Persian perspective, even if it was (much) greater in the eyes of the Greeks.