Warmatrix

The battles of Salamis in 480 BCE and Plataea in 479 BCE were the decisive battles of the Greco-Persian wars, turning away the threat of Persian annexation of Greece. They preserved Greek independence and very probably cultural and scientific richness for Europe. This makes Salamis one of the most important battles in human history.
The Persians and Greeks had been fighting in the preceding decade. The Persians had subdued Thrace and Macedon, but were then beaten back by the Greeks in the also famous Battle of Marathon. Darius, Great King of the largest empire in the world, could not let this stain tarnish his reputation. He started preparations for a second attack, but was interrupted by a revolt in Egypt in 486 BCE. He died while trying to put it down. But his son Xerxes both subdued the Egyptians and completed the assembly the invasion force. In 480 BCE he was ready and personally led the massive army to Greece. Its size is still hotly debated and estimates range from as little as 80,000 to Herodotus' unrealistic estimate of 1,700,000 fighting men. A number of about 300,000 soldiers seems most likely. The army crossed the Bosporus over two pontoon bridges, an astounding feat of engineering, then swung south. All Greek states on its path saw the utter futility of resistance and submitted without a fight. But Athens and Sparta had offended the Persian empire so much in the previous negotiations and struggles that they could expect no mercy, so were forced to fight.
Greece is a mountainous country with few roads suitable for a large army. The Persian horde was forced to march down the eastern coastline of mainland Greece. The Greeks decided to try to block them at Thermopylae, where the passage between mountains and sea was especially narrow, even more so than today. Here the Persians could not take advantage of their large number, while the heavy armor of the Greeks was used for optimum effect. For three days the Greeks withstood the attack, but then were betrayed by one Ephialtes, who led the Persians into their rear. 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians and 400 Thebans made a heroic last stand to save time, while the main army escaped to Athens and soon after to the island of Salamis. The Spartans and other Peleponnesians withdrew to the Peleponnesos, trying to fortify the Isthmus of Corinthe. The Persians swarmed into Boeotia and Attica and torched Athens, easily brushing aside the token resistance of the handful of defenders on the Akropolis.
Despite the brave fighting, Thermopylae was just a delaying action and even without the betrayal would not have been able to save Greece. The real battle would have to be fought at sea. The huge Persian army depended on naval supply lines for food, other supplies and communications. The Greeks knew that if they could beat the Persian war fleet, they could disrupt this lifeline and force the Persians to retreat. Urged by the politician/general Themistocles they had build a fleet of 200 triremes in the two years before, supplemented by ships from other city states. The Persians had more ships, some 1200 according to spies, though estimated at 600 - 800 by most historians. They were manned by Egyptians, Phoenicians and Ionians, excellent rowers and seamen, much more experienced than the Greeks. At the same time that Thermopylae was fought on land, the first skirmishes at sea took place. Minor fights, which had been going on since 481 BCE, now erupted into battles near Artemisium. Twice the Greeks fought the Persians and won, twice storms wrecked further havoc on the enemy fleet. But despite their success the Greeks had lost many ships too and the Persian fleet was still superior. When news came that Thermopylae was lost, the Greeks retreated back to the harbor of Piraeus.
The Persians took a breather and slowly followed the defenders. They probably had about 550 ships left against a combined Greek fleet that was reduced to 370 - 380. Near Piraeus they cautiously closed in for battle. There was fear, anxiety and dissent among the Greeks; many considered fleeing to Sicily. Themistocles used the rumors to convince the Persians that the Greeks were going to evacuate Salamis. In response, Xerxes let his main fleet block the southeast of the Strait of Salamis at night, while his 200 ship Egyptian squadron sailed around the island to shut the west exit. The next morning, the Persians decided to attack where they did not want to: inside the strait. Maybe Xerxes wanted to force a quick victory and get back home or maybe he really was convinced that the enemy were breaking from fear. At dawn, he oversaw the battle from a nearby hilltop. At the start, 50 Greek triremes rushed off to the west, but they turned around as soon as battle was joined. The Greeks first backed off to lure the Persians in further and gain the advantages of maneuvering space and the morning wind, then attacked. In the narrow passages of the strait the Persians had again trouble bringing the numerical advantage to bear, and also most of their skill in maneuvering was lost in fierce close-quarter battles. Despite the odds, the Greeks won the day.
Without naval support, Xerxes made one more attempt, by trying to build a bridge over the strait. But the Greeks harrassed the engineers endlessly and the project had to be abandoned. Xerxes took the bulk of his army and retreated back to Susa. But he left behind a force of some 80,000 men, small enough to live partly off the land, under command of the experienced general Mardonius. It took the Greeks one more year and the difficult battles of Plataea (on land) and Mycale (at sea) to eliminate this final threat. After that, the initiative shifted to the Greeks, but almost immediately the normal rivalry among city-states erupted again. The Persians adopted the ignoble but effective strategy of bribing Greek factions and helped achieve the Peleponnesian war, which kept Sparta and Athens busy for three decades.