The Persian Wars refers to the conflict between Greece and Persia in the 5th century BCE which involved two invasions by the latter in and BCE. Several of the most famous and significant battles in history were fought during the Wars, these were at Marathon , Thermopylae , Salamis , and Plataea , all of which would become legendary. The Greeks were, ultimately, victorious and their civilization preserved. If they had been defeated then the western world may not have inherited from them such lasting cultural contributions as democracy, classical architecture and sculpture, theatre, and the Olympic Games.

Persia, under the rule of Darius r. Just why Greece was coveted by Persia is unclear. Wealth and resources seem an unlikely motive; other more plausible suggestions include the need to increase the prestige of the king at home or to quell once and for all a collection of potentially troublesome rebel states on the western border of the empire. The Ionian rebellion, the offering of earth and water in submission to the Persian satrap in BCE, and the attack by Athens and Eretria on the city of Sardis in BCE had not been forgotten either.

The Greeks sent a no-nonsense reply by executing the envoys, and Athens and Sparta promised to form an alliance for the defence of Greece. Darius did not lead the invasion of mainland Greece in person but put his general Datis in charge of his cosmopolitan army. The total strength of the Persian army was perhaps 90, men.

The Greeks were led by either Miltiades or Callimachus and they commanded a total force of only between 10, and 20,, probably nearer the lower figure. When the two armies clashed on the plain of Marathon in September BCE, the Persian tactic of rapidly firing vast numbers of arrows into the enemy must have been an awesome sight but the lightness of the arrows meant that they were largely ineffective against the bronze-armoured hoplites.

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At close quarters the Greeks thinned their centre and extended their flanks to envelop the enemy lines. This and their longer spears, heavier swords, better armour, and rigid discipline of the phalanx formation meant that the Greek hoplites won a great victory against the odds. According to tradition 6, Persians were dead, for only Greeks.

Victory dedications and statues were erected and, for the Greeks, the Battle of Marathon quickly became the stuff of legend.

Meanwhile, the Persian fleet fled back to Asia but they would be back, and next time, in even bigger numbers. In August BCE a small band of Greeks led by Spartan King Leonidas held the pass for three days but were killed to a man.

At the same time, the Greek fleet managed to hold off the Persians at the indecisive naval battle at Artemision. Together, these battles bought Greece time and allowed for its cities to steel themselves for the bigger challenges yet to come.

Persian Warriors | The Perian Immortals | The Persians Army

The defeat at Thermopylae, though glorious, allowed the Persians to make in-roads into Greece. Consequently, many states now turned over to the Persians and Athens itself was sacked. The next vital engagement was going to be at sea. In September BCE at Salamis in the Saronic Gulf, the Greeks once more faced a larger enemy force. The exact numbers are much disputed but a figure of Persian ships against a Greek fleet of seems the most likely estimate.

The hoplites had won at Marathon, now it was the turn of the trireme to take centre stage, the fast and manoeuvrable Greek warship powered by three banks of oars and armed with a bronze ram. The Persians also had triremes but the Greeks had an ace up their sleeve, the great Athenian general Themistocles.

He, with 20 years of experience and the confidence from his leadership at Artemision, employed a bold plan to entice the Persian fleet into the narrow straits of Salamis and hit the enemy fleet so hard it had nowhere to retreat to.

Themistocles won a great victory and the remaining Persian ships retreated to Asia Minor. The cryptic oracle of Apollo at Delphi had been proved right: But still, this was not the end.

There would be one more battle, the largest ever yet seen in Greece, and it would decide her fate for centuries to follow. After Salamis Xerxes returned home to his palace at Sousa but he left the gifted general Mardonius in charge of the invasion which was still very much on. The Persian position remained strong despite the naval defeat - they still controlled much of Greece and their large land army was intact. After a series of political negotiations, it became clear that the Persians would not gain victory on land through diplomacy and the two opposing armies met at Plataea in Boeotia in August BCE.

The Greeks fielded the largest hoplite army ever seen which came from some 30 city-states and numbered around , The Persians possessed a similar number of troops, perhaps slightly more but, again, there are no exact figures agreed upon by scholars.

Although cavalry and archers played their part, it was, once again, the superiority of the hoplite and phalanx which won the Greeks the battle. In addition to victory at Plataea, at the roughly contemporary Battle of Mycale in Ionia, the Greek fleet led by Leotychides landed an army which wiped out the Persian garrison there and killed the commander Tigranes. The Ionian states were sworn back into the Hellenic Alliance and the Delian League established to ward off any future Persian attacks.

Further, the Chersonnese controlling the Black Sea and Byzantium controlling the Bosphorus were both retaken. Persia would remain a threat with odd skirmishes and battles occurring across the Aegean over the next 30 years but mainland Greece had survived its greatest danger.

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While the Greeks were euphoric in victory, the Persian Empire was not dealt a death blow by its defeat. Whatever, the Persian Empire continued to thrive for another years. Related Articles Books Bibliography Cite This Work License. We're a small non-profit organisation run by a handful of volunteers. Last modified April 06, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 06 Apr Written by Mark Cartwright , published on 06 April under the following license: This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms.

Some Rights Reserved by Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited, a non-profit organization registered in the UK. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. Origins of the Wars Persia, under the rule of Darius r. Remove Ads Advertisement googletag. With their longer spears, heavier swords, better armour, and rigid discipline of the phalanx formation the Greek hoplites won a great victory against the odds.

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Thermopylae is a mountain pass near the sea in northern Greece which was the site of several battles in antiquity, the The Battle on the plain of Marathon in September BCE between Greeks and the invading forces of Persian King Darius Help us write more We're a small non-profit organisation run by a handful of volunteers. Recommended Books The Greek and Persian Wars BC. The War of the Three Gods: Romans, Persians, and the Rise of Islam.

Skyhorse Publishing 16 September University of California Press 15 October Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome. Princeton University Press 16 September The Greatest Battles of the Greco-Persian Wars: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 18 December Bibliography Boyes-Stones et al, The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies Oxford University Press, Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of Athens Penguin Classics, Cite This Work APA Style Cartwright, M.

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MLA Style Cartwright, Mark. External Links 39 — The Persian Wars: License Written by Mark Cartwright , published on 06 April under the following license: Darius I of Persia invades Greece. Corcyra does not participate in the Persian Wars. A combined force of Greek hoplites defeat the Persians at Marathon. Thebes sides with Persia during Xerxes invasion of Greece.

Cycladic states contribute to the victorious Greek forces against the Persians at the battle of Salamis. Xerxes I makes extensive preparations to invade mainland Greece by building depots, canals and a boat bridge across the Hellespont. The indecisive battle of Artemision between the Greek and Persian fleets of Xerxes I. The Greeks withdraw to Salamis. Battle of Salamis where the Greek naval fleet led by Themistocles defeats the invading armada of Xerxes I of Persia.

Cycladic city states contribute to the victorious Greek forces against the Persians at the battle of Plataea. Xerxes ' Persian forces are defeated by Greek forces at Plataea effectively ending Persia 's imperial ambitions in Greece.

Eleusis is destroyed by the Persians. Peace between Greece and Persia. Newsletter Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: History Enthusiast Teacher Student.

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The Greek and Persian Wars BC by Souza, P. Romans, Persians, and the Rise of Islam Peter Crawford Skyhorse Publishing 16 September Price: The Greco-Persian Wars Peter Green University of California Press 15 October Price: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome Anonymous Princeton University Press 16 September Price: Charles River Editors CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 18 December Price: