Iran
In the first stage of the war between Persia and Greece the Persian armies were led by king Darius I (550-486 B. C.). The Persians lost to the Athenians and their Greek allies. In the famous land battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. the Persians were defeated by the Athenians and the Plataeans. News of the victory was delivered by a messenger who ran the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens, and who died afterwards. This is the origin of the modern Olympic event of the marathon. In The Persians, Xerxes invites the gods' enmity for his hubristic expedition against Greece in 480/79 BCE; the focus of the drama is the defeat of Xerxes' navy at Salamis. The Persians takes place in Susa, which at the time was one of the capitals of the Persian Empire, and opens with a chorus of old men of Susa, who are soon joined by the Queen Mother, Atossa, as they await news of her son King Xerxes' expedition against the Greeks. Iran is the homeland of ethnic-Persians. Persians (including Persian sub-groups) and Persian-speakers (other ethnic groups that have adopted Persian language) can also be found in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Oman, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. For the usage of Persian people as a pan-ethnic group designating the people of modern Iran (Persia), see Iran. The Persian people (Persian: پارسیان) are an Iranian people who speak the modern Persian language and closely related Iranian dialects and languages. The term Persian translates to from Persis  which is a region north of the Persian Gulf located in Pars, Ir Persian Empire. Cyrus managed in relatively no time to establish Persian control over the ancient Near East, Egypt, and parts of India, giving the Greek city-states a run for their money. The Persian Empire was the largest Empire that had ever been established. The Persian Empire spanned from Egypt in the west to Turkey in the north, and through Mesopotamia to the Indus River in the east. Persia is today the country of Iran.  The influence of the Persian people, and Persian culture in the post-Islamic world can hardly be exaggerated. From influences in India and Asia, to those in Arabia, Rome, Greece, Persian presence has left a lasting impression. For the usage of Persian people as a pan-ethnic group designating the people of modern Iran (Persia), see Iran. The Persian people (Persian: پارسیان) are an Iranian people who speak the modern Persian language and closely related Iranian dialects and languages. The term Persian translates to from Persis  which is a region north of the Persian Gulf located in Pars, Ira The history, religion, and civilization of Persia are offshoots from those of Media. Both Medes and Persians are Aryans; the Aryans who settled in the southern part of the Iranian plateau became known as Persians, while those of the mountain regions of the northwest were called Medes.  The History of Persians. Persians take their name from the country where they are thought to have originated. They became popular pets in animal-mad Victorian Britain and were seen at the very first cat shows in that country. 
http://home.wlu.edu/~mahonj/Ancient_Philosophers/Persian_war.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_people http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4e.asp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_people http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11712a.htm http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/persian
where are Persians from