Medism (Greek: μηδισμός, medismos) in ancient Greece referred to the act of imitating, sympathizing with, collaborating with, or siding with the Persians.
While the term "Mede" was commonly used by Greeks to refer to the Persians, strictly speaking, the Medes were a distinct Iranian people who were co-rulers with the Persians in the Medo-Persian (Achaemenid) Empire.
[1] Medism was generally considered unacceptable and even criminal in many ancient Greek city-states.
Herodotus mentioned instances of "state medism" in Aegina, Thessaly, Argos, Thebes, and other Boeotian cities.
In Athens, astute politicians exploited popular sentiments against medism for personal gain, which resulted in a conflict between poets Timocreon of Rhodes and Simonides of Ceos, who supported and opposed Themistocles, respectively.