Why the Greeks Won the Greco-Persian War
There are times in history that something will happen and it will defy all logic. It was one of those times when a few Greek city/states joined together and defeated the invasion force of the massive Persian Empire. The Greeks were able to win the Greco-Persian War because of their naval victories over the Persians, a few key strategic victories on land, as well as the cause for which they were fighting. The naval victories were the most important contribution to the overall success against the Persians. The Persian fleet was protecting the land forces from being outflanked and after they were defeated the longer had that protection. While the Greeks had very few overall victories in battle they did have some strategic victories. The Battle of Thermopylae is an example of a strategic success for the Greeks. The morale of the Persian army was extremely affected by the stout resistance put up by King Leonidas and his fellow Spartans. The Greeks fought so hard against overwhelming odds because of what they were fighting for. They were fighting for their country and their freedom. They fought so hard because they did not want to let down the man next to them in the formation. Several things contributed to the Greeks success against the Persian invasion that happened during the Second Greco-Persian War.
The main reason that the Greeks were able to win the Second Greco-Persian War was the fact that their victory on the sea dealt a crippling blow to the land army. The Greeks owe their naval success to a man named Themistocles. If it had not been for him then Athens would have not used some newly found silver to build 200 new ships for their navy. These ships were later used in the war against the Persians. The two forces were working in unison and they were dependent upon each other for victory. The Persian naval forces were there in order to protect the flank of the army's advance. If the Persian navy were not present then the Greeks would have been able to get on ships and sail to a spot behind the Persian lines and outflank them. They also delivered supplies to the armies that were necessary for its survival.
The deathblow was dealt at the Battle of Salamis. It was a culmination of misfortune for the Persian navy. The Persians lost many ships to bad weather conditions. That is the only thing that allowed the G...
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... This would put added pressure on the other man to make sure he doesn't look like a coward. The phalanx depended on every single individual in order to work right.
The Greeks were able to repel the overwhelming and seemly unstoppable Persian Empire. They were able to do so because of the victories won thanks to the Athenian navy in the Aegean Sea, the hard fought and strategically important battles that the Spartans just would not give up during and they were able to put aside their differences in order to face the greater threat for the good or their culture. Each major city/state contributed what it was good at. It was a nice display of teamwork.
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Nagle, D. Brendan. “The Second Persian Invasion” The Ancient World; A social and Cultural History. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.
All these battles had significant impacts to either the war or the moral of the Greek Army. The most significant Battles were The Battle of Salamis and The Battle of Plataea. These battles also saw the contributions of many key individuals, which lead to the victory of the Greeks in the ends as well as the rise of the Greek navy. These Key individuals included Leonidas, Themistocles, Eurybiades and Pausanias. They all had major roles and all contributed differently through out the Persian invasions leading to the victory of the Greeks of the
Demosthenes began his series of orations, known to history as The Philippics, against Philip following the conquest by Philip of the Illyrians to the west of Macedonia and the Thracians to the north and east of Macedonia. The continued agitation of Demosthenes and the speed with which Philip was acquiring his empire spurred Athens, finally, into a disastrous alliance with Thebes in an uprising against Philip in 338 B.C.E., the result of which was the destruction of Thebes by Philip as example of consequence to all who would potentially rise against him. Athens, however, receiving treatment as ally and friend, was spared the consequence o...
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Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D. in 4 Volumes. Volume 1.Attica and Cornith, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1918.
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In the years following the Persian Wars in 479 B.C., Athens had come out on top being the most dominantly powerful of any Greek city with a navy that had superior strength that increased day by day. The Athenians “ruled with heavy-handed, even brutal force as well as with reason” (Kagan 2). This was due largely to the fact that Athens had a stable and effective government, which only increased their advantage in proving themselv...
During the Persian Wars, have you ever wanted Persia to win the Persian wars? Persia should've never won the Persian Wars. When Greece won the Persian wars, everything went right with the world. Greece had good strategies, one person (Miltiades) out of the ten generals knew when to attack the Persians. The Greek culture survived when they won.
The Spartans were the fiercest warriors during their time period. They were practical, defensive, and conservative (pg. 89.) They train everyday to become as is their tradition and fight to their last breath to protect whats theirs. At birth, every male citizen is trained to become professional soldiers. If they can not stand the trials, they are abandoned in the mountains to fend for themselves (pg. 89.) The Battle of Thermopylae was one of the greatest test these men will have to face in order to protect their city states.
The battle demonstrated that the Athenian-led Delian League could accomplish its objectives (“Battles”). In the Aegean Sea, the Persian fleet was no longer a real threat to the Greeks (“Battles”). A year after the battle, Cimon invaded and defeated the remaining Persian forces in the Thracian peninsula (“Battles”). This victory acquired the Greek fleet's definite control of the Aegean Sea and allowed the Athenians freely to follow their broader political motive; making the Delian League allies tributary states in an Athenian empire and challenging for the supremacy in the Greek world (“Battles”). This situation lasted until the annihilation of the Athenian expeditionary force in Egypt, probably between 460 BC - 456 BC, which contributed that the Persians became a major naval power in eastern Mediterranean again
Athens had a very powerful naval unit so they could destroy Sparta’s naval unit Sparta focused on land fight because Sparta knew they couldn’t beat Athens naval power. For example the Battle of Salamis was a naval fought battle and the Spartan’s lost because navy was not powerful enough to beat the almighty Athenians navy their navy was better than the any navy in Greece.
In the 6th century BCE, the city-states that existed on mainland Greek and the surrounding islands, were threatened by the Persian Empire, who came from the area that is now Iran. As the Persians expanded their empire westwards, they eventually encountered the city-states that existed on the west coast of Asia Minor. These city-states had been trading with the Greek city states for some time, and were eventually conquered by the encroaching Persian expansion in 546 BCE. In 500-499 BCE these Ionian city-states were discontent and sick of Persian rule, and rebelled. They were helped by the naval forces of Athens and Eretria. While the Ionian city states were successful at first, the Persian army eventually crushed the revolt. Persia may have crushed the Ionian revolt, but the Persian King Darius were very upset that the Greek city-states would dare oppose him. This set in motion the wars and battles between the Greeks and Persians that stretched from 490 BCE, with the battle of Marathon to the battle of Salamis and Plataea in 480 BCE.
"Unhandled Exception." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
Clarke, Fiona, and Mark Bergin. Greece in the time of Pericles. Hemel Hempstead: Simon & Schuster, 1909.
The Battle of Salamis is said to be one of the most important battles in all of history. It was a naval battle fought between the massive Persian army and smaller Greek army in the Bay of Salamis in 480 BCE. This battle was one of the many battles that were a part of the Greco-Persian war. This paper will explore the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, including advantages and disadvantages both sides had on one and other, and finally will discuss the affects the result of this battle had on each side. Surprisingly, the much smaller Greek army defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. How did this happen, one may ask? Although the Persians appeared to have the military advantage in this battle, particularly in terms of sheer size and numbers, the Greeks successfully defeated them with the help of their leaders, tactics, and many Persian blunders.
Because of the tranquil times, the civilization’s society had more time to focus on writing, math, astronomy, and artistic fields, as well as trade and metallurgy. Out of all the city-states of Greece, two excelled over all the rest, Sparta and Athens. Even though they were the most advanced and strong civilizations, they were bitter enemies. While Athens focused mainly on the people’s democracy and citizen rights, Sparta were ferocious and enslaved its original inhabitants, making them unable to leave and kept under a close eye to prevent insurgence (History of Greece:The Golden Age of Greece). Additionally, Sparta had strict and trained soldiers that underwent intense physical exercising and instruction.