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Invasion of Greece 480-479 - Coggle Diagram
Invasion of Greece 480-479
Persian Motivations
Mardonius argued strongly in favour of an invasion:
to exact revenge on the Athenians
to reap the economic benefits of new territory
allegedly some Greeks were urging for an invasion
so that Xerxes could live up to the example set by the kings before him
Artabanus, Xerxes' uncle, argued against
Previous invasions into Europe (like Scythia) had been disastrous
he had concern that there would not be enough harbours for the ships or adequate supplies for the troops
Persian Prep
Xerxes raised an army of around 70,000 men and 450 ships
Herodotus claims it took four years to prepare for the campaign, including setting up supply depots in Thrace and Macedonia
They cut a canal through the Athos peninsula of northern Greece to avoid sailing in waters where Mardonius' fleet of 492 had been shipwrecked
They also built two bridges made of ships across the Hellespont, imitating Darius bridging the Bosporus
Xerxes sent out heralds demanding earth and water in 481, to all the Greek cities except Athens and Sparta and most accepted and fought for the Persians
Crossing the Hellespont
both Aeschylus and Herodotus make the crossing of the Hellespont a symbol of Xerxes' hubris
The Greeks believed that bodies of water were divine, and so Xerxes had effectively tried to enslave a god by throwing chains across the Hellespont to build a bridge
The Persian Military
The Persians and the Medes wore soft felt caps, tunics, linen breastplates and trousers, with light wicker shields and swords, spears or bows
Some of the most famous soldiers were known as the Immortals - an elite unit of 1000 who served as the King's bodyguard. When one man died another immediately replaced him (hence 'immortal')
In battle, Persians created a front line of defensive shields, and the men behind fired arrows at the enemy
The Greeks were more heavily armed and used to fighting at close quarters in a tightly packed formation known as a phalanx
The Persian cavalry was very important as they were great horse-breeders and were sometimes trained to fire arrows as they rode
The Persians did not have a great navy so relied on other nations within the empire to provide ships - triremes
Thermopylae
In august 480, the Hellenic league decided to send an army of 7000 to Thermopylae to block the Persians at the narrow pass
After, the Persians arrived and didn't know what to do - the terrain was not on their side and the Greeks had built a wall at the narrowest point of the pass
There was a tense stand-off for four days while Xerxes waited for the Greeks to retreat, but they didn't so he sent in the troops
The terrain and the phalanx worked in favour of the Greeks and the Persians suffered great losses - even the immortals
After two days of Greek success, a Greek came to Xerxes hoping for a huge reward and told him of a path that could lead his troops to the other side of the Greeks - enclosing them
The next day, the Greeks learnt they were about to be surrounded so Leonidas dismissed most of the Greek forces. The Spartans, along with 700 Thespians and 400 Thebans stayed.
All of the remaining Greeks died, and Xerxes ordered Leonidas' body to be decapitated which went against Persian customs of honouring the dead
Salamis
Themistocles persuaded the vast majority of the Athenians to flee the city - the fighting men sailed to Salamis and the women and children and elderly went to allied cities
When the Persians arrived to an empty Athens, they sacked it and burnt it to the ground, including the temples
Herodotus claims the Greeks had 380 ships, 200 of them Athenian
Many Greeks wanted to withdraw from Salamis and defend the Peloponnese but Themistocles persuaded them to stay, because he knew the narrowness of the straits would work against the Persians
When the battle started, the Persians had not understood the currents of the water and many of their ships were turned to the side which allowed the Greek triremes to ram them
The Persian ships crowded into one another, whereas fighting in a narrow channel gave the advantage to the Greeks
The Greeks won and Xerxes returned to Sardis, leaving Mardonius to carry on the campaign, which ended badly for them at Plataea and Mycale. The Persian invasion had failed
Eurymedon
The Delian League, led by Athenian general, Cimon, took the fight to the Persians to prevent another counter attack in the early 460s
This was a decisive land and sea battle at Eurymedon in southern Asia Minor, with the Greeks winning
Plutarch suggests that Xerxes was so stung by defeat that, after the battle, there may have been a peace agreement - the 'famous peace'
Plutarch claims that Xerxes agreed to always keep at least a day's ride away from the Greek sea
It is debated whether an actual peace treaty was signed, but the Persians did not campaign in the Aegean again for many decades.