Second Persian Invasion. The Second Persian War (1879) The armies from the Eastern satrapies was gathered in Kritala, Cappadocia and were led by Xerxes to Sardis where they passed the winter. Greco-Persian Wars: … The First Peloponnesian War took place from 460-446 BC and was mainly comprised of skirmishes […] [123] That evening, another storm occurred, wrecking the majority of the Persian detachment which had been sent around Euboea. The fact that the Athenians chose to meet their enemy at the point of its entry into their country rather than defending the gates of their city is in itself remarkable. Though all of the men were fine soldiers, they were hugely outnumbered by the Persians. The route to southern Greece (Boeotia, Attica and the Peloponnesus) would require the army of Xerxes to travel through the very narrow pass of Thermopylae. [153], When Mardonius heard that the Allied army was on the march, he retreated into Boeotia, near Plataea, trying to draw the Allies into open terrain where he could use his cavalry. All these reasons played a crucial role in the Greek victory over the Persians in the Second Persian War. [192] In particular, he sought to win over the Athenians, which would leave the Allied fleet unable to oppose Persian landings on the Peloponnesus. Had Themistocles not evacuated the city, it would have been disastrous. The Greeks were victorious in the Second Persian War because of a number of factors. The second Persian war was a war of much significance to European history. Most of the Greek city states met in Corinth to work out a common defence. [2], Modern scholars thus generally attribute the numbers given in the ancient sources to the result of miscalculations or exaggerations on the part of the victors, or disinformation by the Persians in the run up to the war. [91][92] Ctesias gives another number, 1,000 ships,[36] while Plato, speaking in general terms refers to 1,000 ships and more. [141] Seizing the opportunity, the Greek fleet attacked, and scored a decisive victory, sinking or capturing at least 200 Persian ships, and thus ensuring the Peloponnesus would not be outflanked. [17] A preliminary expedition under Mardonius, in 492 BC, to secure the land approaches to Greece ended with the re-conquest of Thrace and forced Macedon to become a fully subordinate kingdom part of Persia. [105] Thebes was a major absentee and was suspected of being willing to aid the Persians once the invasion force arrived. Discover The Second Persian War - War College Series by Herodotus and millions of other books available at Barnes & Noble. [222], Preparations of the army of Xerxes, with quarters in, Spring 480 BC: Thrace, Macedonia and Thessaly, August 480 BC: Thermopylae and Artemisium, September 480 BC: Destruction of Athens, battle of Salamis, The 30 marines are in addition to the figure of 200 given for the ships' crews, There is some contradiction in Herodotus's accounts. Greeks had withdrawn while the Spartans stayed and died heroi… [173] The Achaemenids finally removed Mascames and their garrison at Doriskos circa 465 BC. He wanted them wiped out entirely. [106] The most notable city actively siding with the Persians ("Medised") was Argos, in the otherwise Spartan-dominated Peloponnese. The First Persian Gulf War lasted from 1980 to 1988 and pitted Iraq against Iran. After the second loss, Xerxes got mad. [20] Having had a demonstration of his power the previous year, the majority of Greek cities duly obliged. The Spartans and Corinthians wanted to abandon northern Greece and only defend southern Greece (where they were). An army of 60,000 men had been left there by Xerxes, and the fleet joined with them, building a palisade around the camp to protect the ships. [192] The cities in any territory that the army passed through would be forced to submit or risk destruction; and indeed this happened with the Thessalian, Locrian and Phocian cities who initially resisted the Persians but then were forced to submit as the Persians advanced. [196] They had a hugely efficient bureaucracy, which allowed them to undertake remarkable feats of planning. [150] Mardonius brought even more thorough destruction to the city. [70] Other early modern scholars estimated that the land forces participating in the invasion at 100,000 soldiers or less, based on the logistical systems available to the Ancients. Ironically, the Ionic Greeks, who started the revolt which lead to the Persian wars, choose to join the Greeks instead of the Persian army which they were forced to do, and fought in the final battles of the Persian war. [147] Artabazus was thus forced to lift the siege, and return to Mardonius in Thessaly with the remnants of his men. It paused at Doriskos where it was joined by the fleet. [24] Xerxes crushed the Egyptian revolt, and very quickly restarted the preparations for the invasion of Greece. Second Persian War – ancient Greece Gold coin of Xerxes (or another Persian king) After the Athenians beat the Persians in the First Persian War, at the battle of Marathon, the Persians left the Greeks alone for ten years. [139][140] Partly as a result of subterfuge on the part of Themistocles, the navies finally engaged in the cramped Straits of Salamis. [194] The Allied performance at Thermopylae was initially effective; however, the failure to properly guard the path that outflanked Thermopylae undermined their strategy, and led to defeat. During the land battle, the Greek fleet simultaneously sailed over the Aegean and obliterated the remains of the Persian fleet. [11], The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus from Sicily, writing in the 1st century BC in his Bibliotheca Historica, also provides an account of the Greco-Persian wars, partially derived from the earlier Greek historian Ephorus. But we’re focused on Themistocles, which means we’re focused on Athens. Battle of Thermopylae & Leonidas I – The King of Sparta. AFOTW | Episode 2 | The second Persian War Kuwaiti Mapping. Royal Road. [194] Themistocles now proposed what was in hindsight the strategic masterstroke in the Allied campaign; to lure the Persian fleet to battle in the straits of Salamis. [177] It is also possible that the "leather armor" was actually untanned or partially tanned rawhide rather than fully tanned leather, because modern tests have concluded that plain or treated rawhide is a significantly better material for making armor than leather. [83][84], The size of the Persian fleet is also disputed, though perhaps less so. With the Persian Empire defeated, mainly due to the Spartan army, many believed that Sparta would continue to act as leader for Greece . [192] The events at Mycale reveal a similar story; Persian infantry committing themselves to a melee with hoplites, with disastrous results. The Second Persian War was an event of ancient Earth history. It was the invasion of Greece from 480 BC to 479 BC; King Xerxes I, of Persia, was determined to conquer Greece during the Greco-Persian Wars; he had an army of over 100,000 men. [194] Regardless of its actual size, it is clear that the Persians had brought an overwhelming number of troops and ships to Greece. [99] The Athenians did not have the man-power to fight on land and sea; therefore combatting the Persians would require an alliance of several Greek city states. It was the invasion of Greece from 480 BC to 479 BC; King Xerxes I, of Persia, was determined to conquer Greece during the Greco-Persian Wars; he had an army of over 100,000 men. [71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78], Munro and Macan note Herodotus giving the names of six major commanders and 29 myriarchs (leaders of a baivabaram, the basic unit of the Persian infantry, which numbered about 10,000-strong[79][80]); this would give a land force of roughly 300,000 men. This is one of the most significant events in all of classical history. After Darius's death, his son Xerxes spent several years planning for the second invasion, mustering an enormous army and navy. [190] At Thermopylae, until the path outflanking the Allied position was revealed, the Persians signally failed to adjust their tactics to the situation, although the position was well chosen to limit the Persian options. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion of Greece (492–490 BC) at the Battle of Marathon which ended Darius I's attempts to subjugate Greece. [192], Thus, the Persian failure may be seen partly as a result of two strategic mistakes that handed the Allies tactical advantages, and resulted in decisive defeats for the Persians. Before this, the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire, centered in what is now modern-day Iran, had maintained an uneasy coexistence, but this expansion by the Persians would eventually lead to war. Instead of sending his fleet out to sea he instructed his men to dig a canal through Athos, which took three years to complete. [133], The Persians had now captured most of Greece, but Xerxes had perhaps not expected such defiance from the Greeks; his priority was now to complete the war as quickly as possible;[134] the huge invasion force could not be supplied indefinitely, and probably Xerxes did not wish to be at the fringe of his empire for so long. However, once there, they were warned by Alexander I of Macedon that the vale could be bypassed by at least two other passes and that the army of Xerxes was overwhelming; the Allies therefore retreated. [220] Thermopylae is often used as a good example of the use of terrain as a force multiplier,[221] while Themistocles's ruse before Salamis is a good example of the use of deception in warfare. Xerxes left most of his army behind, under the command of Mardonius, with the specific orders of conquering the rest of Greece. [159][160] However, as at Thermopylae, the Persian infantry proved no match for the heavily armoured Greek hoplites,[161] and the Spartans broke through to Mardonius's bodyguard and killed him. [181] It may therefore simply be that neither the Ionians nor Egyptians were included in the army because they were serving in the fleet — none of the coastal regions of the Persian empire appear to have sent contingents with the army. Archaeological evidence, such as the Serpent Column, also supports some of Herodotus's specific claims. The second Persian war was a war of much significance to European history. [175] Hoplites were armed with a long spear (the doru), which was evidently significantly longer than Persian spears, and a sword (the xiphos). [150] Athens was thus evacuated again, and the Persians marched south and re-took possession of it. The Persians were soundly defeated. [171] Herodotus ended his Historia after the Siege of Sestos. 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