2Nd Iranian Invasion Essay, Research Paper

2nd Iranian Invasion

Persia, under the regulation of King Xerxes, was fixing for retaliation

on Athens. The licking they had suffered in 490BC at Marathon was a

irritants in their side. Xerxes male parent Darius had begun the planning of this

invasion and after he died it became Xerxes figure one precedence. Small

did he cognize that he was traveling to be outclassed at every move, although

the Greeks were to a great extent outnumbered. The exact Numberss of each side

are unknown ; as Herodotus, our major beginning, is prone to hyperbole.

Many factors gave the Greeks an advantage. The brotherhood of the provinces ; the

high quality of the soldiers at one-on-one combat ; the strength of the

naval fleet and the fact that the conflicts took topographic point on Grecian dirt were all

points in the Greeks favor. Afterwards they stated that they were free

work forces ; non forced to contend and this was the ground for triumph. one adult male

could see all these advantages and set them to good usage. He was one time

told you are traveling to be a great adult male one manner or the other, either for

good or evil. ( 1 ) Themistocles was a adult male who showed an

unmistakable natural mastermind ; & # 8230 ; .He was peculiarly singular at

looking into the hereafter and seeing at that place the concealed possibilities for good

or evil. To sum him up in a few words, it may be said that through force

of mastermind and by celerity of action this adult male was supreme at making

exactly the right thing at exactly the right minute. ( 2 )

Themistocles was held in high respect in Athens, plenty to be

chosen archon in 493 BC. After the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

Athinais was certain that the Iranian menace was over. Themistocles was non

as confident. He wanted to construct more ships for the Athenian Navy with

the net incomes from the Ag mines at Laurion. The Athenians, believing that

the Iranian forces would non return, did non hold with this. Themistocles

played upon their fight and convinced them that the ships

were for usage against a neighbouring province. They so agreed to construct 200

new triremes. When it was apparent that the Persians were coming

Themistocles was the lone adult male willing to take the place as

Commander-in-Chief of Athens.

( 1 ) Plutarch, Themistocles & # 8211 ; 2

( 2 ) Thucydides, 1: 138

In 481 BC, 31 Greek provinces met at Corinth. They decided

to fall in forces against the Iranian savages. This brotherhood is the major

ground why Greece was able to get the better of the Persians. Sparta was chosen as

leader of this brotherhood as they had the most military experience and had the

highest repute as soldiers. The Athenians thought that since they

supplied the most ships they should be the leaders. Thucydides says:

Themistocles instantly saw the danger of dissension at

this phase: he hence surrendered his ain bid to Eurybiades and

soothed the Athenians pride by assuring them that if they proved their

heroism in the combat, he would vouch that the remainder of the Greeks

would accept their leading subsequently on. For this action Themistocles is

by and large regarded as the adult male most straight responsible for salvaging

Greece, & # 8230 ; . ( 3 )

The work forces who had been ostracised in the predating 10 old ages were

told to return. Themistocles did non desire these work forces to assist the enemy as

had happened in old invasions. Aristedes ; who was Themistocles

greatest political resistance ; was one of these work forces. He became an

of import portion of one of Themistocles programs. One of the of import

advantages that Greece had was her cognition of the terrain and the

environing seas and he did non desire these exiled work forces to supply any

information that might endanger that advantage.

Themistocles scheme was to contend the savages at sea, far off

from mainland Greece. He believed that the lone manner to win was at sea.

This program was opposed and his military personnels were sent to Tempe with the

Spartans. They found the mountains here excessively difficult to support and

returned to Thermopylae. Thermistocles believed that Thermopylae was

an first-class topographic point for conflict as it was restricted with mountains on one

side and sea-side drops on the other go forthing merely a narrow base on balls for travel.

This meant that a little figure of soldiers would be confronting each other

and this suited the Greeks much more than the Persians. Themistocles

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and his fleet were sent to support Artemesium while military personnels stayed to

defend Thermopylae. The Persians lost many soldiers at Thermopylae,

much to King Xerxes disgust. The little ground forces at Thermopylae included

King Leonardis of Sparta and his 300 escorts. The Spartans, who

were far superior at one-on-one combat, were able to keep off the

Iranis. The Persians were told about a base on balls over the mountains and

were able to environ the Greeks and kill them all ; including King

Leonardis.

( 3 ) Plutarch, Themistocles & # 8211 ; 7

The conflict at Artemisium, although non a triumph, damaged many

of the Persians ships and killed many Iranian work forces. The local cognition

one time once more aided the Grecian fleet. They were able to avoid the storms that

caused the Persians to lose many of its ships. When Themistocles heard

of what happened at Thermopylae he decided to retreat under the

screen of darkness. On the manner place they left graffito behind to warn the

Grecian work forces that were being forced to contend for Persia to contend

half-heartedly.

King Xerxes and the Iranian forces continued down the seashore.

Themistocles ordered the emptying of Athens to Troezen, Aegina and

Salamis. The Delphic prophets had said that the wood walls would be

the Jesus of Greece. Themistocles believed that these wood walls

were the ships of the Greek fleet. The Acropolis had wooden walls and

some people barricaded themselves indoors. The Acropolis was raided by

the Persians and all within were killed. Athens was destroyed.

Many Greeks wanted to acquire in the ships and flee but Themistocles

convinced them to remain and contend. Some wanted to contend the savages at

the Isthmus but Themistocles pointed out that the Grecian ships would

perform better in smaller, narrow passs than in the unfastened sea. He devised

a program to entice the Persians to the narrow passs around Salamis. A slave

was sent to King Xerxes to state him that the Greeks planned to fly at

dark. Upon hearing this he sent guards to watch the issues from the bays

of Salamis. Themistocles appears to hold chosen the clip for the

conflict every bit judiciously as he had the topographic point. ( 4 ) He waited until the seas and

the conditions was perfect for the Grecian fleet but was a load to the

Iranis. The Grecian ships were little and lay low in the H2O. The

Iranian ships were hard to manouvre in the crestless wave and zephyr that

occurred at the clip chosen for the conflict. Thus the Greeks were able to

utilize their adept boatmanship and get the better of the Persians.

After the Grecian triumph at Salamis, Themistocles and

Aristedes put their differences aside. They needed a manner to acquire Xerxes to

travel place. There was consideration to destruct a span at Hellespont, that

Xerxes had spent a considerable sum of clip and money edifice.

Themistocles decided to go forth the span integral, but sent a warning to

Xerxes that it was traveling to be destroyed. When Xerxes heard this he

withdrew instantly. He left behind a contingent of work forces under the

leading of Maridonis.

There were two more conflicts ; at Mycale and Platea. The Greeks

won both these conflicts and secured many poleis and the Aegean Sea.

( 4 ) Plutarch, Themistocles & # 8211 ; 14

The Persians did carry through what they had ab initio set out to make.

They had gained their retaliation and destroyed Athens. The Greeks

nevertheless defended themselves laudably against the big Persian force

and forced the backdown of the savages. The Greeks had used all

available resources ; soldiers, ships, and local cognition. Fortunately for

Greece, Themistocles used his mastermind for good non evil. He was the 1

adult male who was able to efficaciously utilize all of Hellenic republics and his ain resources

to their maximal possible. So although the Persian force was many

times larger than the Grecian force Themistocles was able to utilize the

bravery and wisdom of his work forces to their full potency. The combination

of five things gave Greece the advantage it needed to get the better of the Persians.

The brotherhood ; the local cognition of the terrain and the seas ; the higher-up

one-on-one combat abilities of the soldiers ; the psychological strength of

work forces contending for their states freedom and the tactics and scheme used

by the leaders. I have to inquire though if the result would hold been

the same if it wasn T for Themistocles!