Aeschylus (ca. 525-456 BCE), the dramatist who made Athenian tragedy one of the world's great art forms, witnessed the establishment of democracy at Athens & fought against the Persians at Marathon. He won the tragic prize at the City Dionysia thirteen times between ca. 499 & 458, & in his later years was probably victorious almost every time he put on a production, though Sophocles beat him at least once. Of his total of about 80 plays, seven survive complete. The 1st volume of this new Loeb Classical Library edition offers fresh texts & translations by Alan H. Sommerstein of Persians, the only surviving Greek historical drama; Seven against Thebes, from a trilogy on the conflict between Oedipus' sons; Suppliants, on the successful appeal by the daughters of Danaus to the king & people of Argos for protection against a forced marriage; & Prometheus Bound (of disputed authenticity), on the terrible punishment of Prometheus for giving fire to humans in defiance of Zeus.