480 – 479 B.C. was a wild time for the Greek city-states. The year before, the Spartans lost at Thermopylae, Athens was sacked, a Greek fleet defeated the Persian fleet at Salamis, Persian emperor Xerxes took the remainder of the fleet home and left a huge army in Greece. The Battle of Salamis is considered one of the most significant battles in history, since it saved Greek civilization. Had the Persians conquered Greece, Western Civilization might have lost out on Greek philosophy, drama, architecture, etc. It was a close call. But what about that huge army Xerxes left? Come spring in 479, the Persians could have still attempted to conquer Greece or at least Athens. Many people think the Persian Wars ended in the water off the island Salamis. Yet, there were two battles to be fought in 479 and if the Persians had won, history would have been very different.
When Xerxes fled, he left Mardonius with a large army. Mardonius sacked Athens, again. He then marched north to find a good location for a decisive battle. He built a fortified camp near the Persian ally Thebes. He found flat ground that would take advantage of the fearsome Persian cavalry. A Greek army under the Spartan general Pausanias followed and camped on high ground near the Persians. The army was a combination of many city-states including Sparta, Athens, Corinth, and Megara. Herodotus (from whom most of our information about the battle comes) claimed the Persian army was 350,000 and the Greeks had 110,000 soldiers. These numbers were clearly exaggerated, but it seems clear that the Greeks were greatly outnumbered. The opposing forces refused to budge because they did not want to leave their advantageous positions. The two armies maintained their positions for eleven days. Pausanias tried to lure the Greeks down into the valley by using hit-and-run cavalry attacks. In one of those attacks, the Persian cavalry commander Masistius was killed. This hurt Persian morale. Despite that, soon after, the Persian cavalry captured a Greek supply convoy and blocked further supplies from arriving. It also captured the spring that was the only source of water for the Greeks. Pausanias determined that the Greek position was now untenable. It was decided that the Greeks needed to move to a new position. They were to move at night, always a risky move in ancient times.
Sure enough, the withdrawal was chaotic. When dawn broke, the Greeks were scattered. Mardonius seized the moment and launched his army at the vulnerable Greeks. Two separate engagements resulted. The Athenian phalanx squared off with the Thebans. The Spartan rearguard held off Mardonius archers, foot soldiers, and cavalry. Pausanias joined it with the rest of the Spartan force after finally getting a sacrifice that green lit the battle. The Spartans were still on rough ground so the Persian cavalry was not a factor. The Persian archers pelted the Spartans with arrows. But the Spartan shields and armor protected them from all but lucky shots. When the Persian infantry moved in, it was quantity versus quality. The Persians were at a disadvantage because of their wicker shields, short spears, and lack of armor. Still, because of their large number, the Persians might have won. Things turned when Mardonius was felled by a rock thrown by the Spartan Arimnestrus. The Persians panicked and fled to the camp. Meanwhile, the Athenians were victorious against the Thebans. They joined the Spartans in attacking the camp. The camp fell with heavy Persian losses. Herodotus claimed that the Persians lost 40,000 men and the Greeks around 10,000.
Greek historians claimed that on the same day (supposedly August 27, 479 B.C.) that Plataea was fought, the Battle of Mycale occurred. A Greek fleet caught the Persian fleet beached and defeated it. The two battles finished off Xerxes dream of taking over Greece. And Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripedes, Thucydides, Aristophanes, and the others were able to do their thing.
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