Xerxes' Invasion

The Battle of Salamis was the icing on the cake for the Greeks. They were able to defeat the larger Persian fleet by dictating the terms of the battle. They choose a location that favored their smaller swifter ships instead of the much larger, heavier Persian ones. The Greeks were able to maneuver and ram the Persians at will and had most of the Persian fleet in check by nightfall. The funny thing about it is that Xerxes had a throne set up for him on the island of Salamis to watch the battle. After the Greeks victory here they had control of the seas. This restricted the Persian fleet from keeping the army supplied and protected. Xerxes took the remaining elements of his fleet and headed back to Asia after the battle.

Themistocles was aware that the only way to defeat the Persians was to cut of their naval power, so he devised a plan. He sent a slave to the Persians with a message that they were escaping, and the Persians sent ships to meet there escapees. The Athenian ships were prepared to face them. Their specialty in sea battles, along with the narrowness and swirls of the sea gave the Athenians an advantage. This strategy is what ultimately brought victory to the Greeks, as it left the Persians without a supply line and weakened their forces. The two events, the battle at Marathon and the battle at Salamis, showed that Athens was a great contributor to the war, both land and sea.

Ancient and modern sources present differing views of Xerxes. It’s difficult to make a judgment of Xerxes character and effectiveness as a King since there is a bias in a majority of these sources.

The Role of Themistocles in the Greek Defeat of the Persians in 480 - 479 BC.

At Artemisium and Salamis, Themistocles played a key role. The Battle of Artemisium was a battle which contained 271 Greek vessels controlled by Eurybiades and 1200 Persian vessels, according to Herodotus’ numbers. There was a 3 day storm which inflicted major damage to the Persian fleet, but the Greeks were able to ride out the storm safely. Xerxes then ordered his fleet to take on the Greeks at Cape Sepias in order to bring supplies, resulting in a closely fought battle. The Greeks then heard of the defeat at Thermopylae and departed,

After the death of Darius, his son Xerxes was persuaded by his overconfident advisor Mardonius to attack the Greeks, and in doing so, Mardonius exaggerated Greek weaknesses and character. Even when Damaratus repeatedly told Xerxes that the Spartans were the bravest and best fighters of Greece, Xerxes still mocked them for their appearance and actions. "For four whole days he suffered to go by, expecting that the Greeks would run away." (Herodotus)

The Battle of Thermopylae, which Herodotus recorded in his writing The Histories, was one of the most arduous and notable battles of western history. Herodotus was an extremely significant historian who lived during the 5th century B.C. In this primary source writing, he portrays how Xerxes was superstitious and tyrannical, how the battle informs you about the Spartan culture, how the values of Greek promoted society, and he displayed how significant the Persian invasion was on Greek development, for example, their political and intellectual expansion. The Persian King Xerxes

The second invasion of Greece came at the Battle of Thermopylae and Artemesium under King Xerxes, the son of King Darius. Thermopylae was the gateway to central Greece and was chosen as the desired battleground

Themistocles was responsible for the Greek victory in the Persian wars to a considerable extent. The key to Athens' strength in the 5th Century BC was in this general and statesman and therefore, as Greek victory relied so heavily on Athens, Themistocles vitally contributed to the outcome of the Persian king’s invasion of 480-479 BC. His early life reflects the character and skills developed that were responsible for these contributions. Five pivotal roles he undertook were of varying degrees responsible for Greece’s success against Xerxes. Themistocles possessed an incredible foresight

While the battle at Artemisium is considered indecisive (8.18), and the corresponding battle at Thermopylae a Pyrrhic victory for Xerxes, it was a huge victory of propaganda for the Greek side. A small force held off the best of the Persians for many days – showcasing the superiority of the Greek hoplite in close

The Greeks showed more unity during the Second Persian War. Xerxes assembled a Persian army including soldiers from all parts of the Eastern world in order to

Once the Persians had victory over Thermopylae, Boeotia quickly fell and Attica and Athens were open to invasion. In searching for details on the battle, I quickly learned that the Battle of Artemisium was hand in hand with Thermopylae and took place at the same time as the battle of Thermopylae. To further explore what made these two specific battles unique I researched specific details like the battle strategy and approach, focusing on the Greeks. J.A.S. Evans’s book, Notes on Thermopylae and Artemisium, was particularly helpful because it went into depth on how the two battles were connected and possible reasoning for the approach to the battles and the outcomes of such actions. Beginning with Thermopylae, the Greeks were prepared for Xerxes

Shortly after that, there was yet another failed attempt in 480 BCE led by emperor Xerxes, successor and son of King Darius 1. The Greeks wanted

The battle of Thermopylae was the Greek’s first stand against the massive army of King Xerxes, and was the most influential battle of the entire war. Up to this point, the Persian army was seen as too massive and powerful to be stopped. The once warring city-states of Greece knew they couldn’t stand against the Persians alone, and knew in order to defend their homeland they would have to unite. A unity of command was agreed upon; King Leonidas of Sparta was chosen to lead the Greek forces. He was chosen to lead because of the unsurpassed warring abilities the Spartans were so well known for made him perfect for the objective of stopping the Persians.

Athens is one of the largest and most prominent city-states, in Greek history. Politically, Athens proposed different radical forms of government and ranges of influence. Between the sixth to the fourth century, Athens was the pre-famous force in the Mediterranean. The Athenian Empire was comprised of a colossal number of tribute-paying states and had complete control over the Aegean. In the sixth century, the Greek Empire was under attack from the Persian Empire, governed by King Xerxes who had a great interest in attacking the Greece. Under the leadership of both Athens and Sparta, they successfully defeated the Persians at the clashes of Marathon, Salamis, and Platea. This warfare was known as the Persian Wars and was very significant