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Battle of Plataea. By Amanda Bittman. Overview. In 479 BC the Battle of Plataea took place. A modern estimation = 47000 Persians fought against 38000 Greeks. Herodotus (a Greek historian during this era) wrote an account of this Battle in “The Histories”.
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Battle of Plataea By Amanda Bittman
Overview • In 479 BC the Battle of Plataea took place. • A modern estimation = 47000 Persians fought against 38000 Greeks. • Herodotus (a Greek historian during this era) wrote an account of this Battle in “The Histories”. • The Battle lasted a number of weeks and most probably longer than necessary. • The Greeks won.
CAUSES • Battle of Salamis. • Xerxes left Mardonius and a sizable force to attempt to control the conquered areas of Greece. Moved to Thessaly for the winter. • Mardonius made an offer to Athens. Athenians declined. “There is not so much gold in the world nor land so fair that we would take it for pay to join the common enemy and bring Greece into subjection.” (Herodotus, The Histories) • Mardonius attacked Athens. • Spartans, afraid Athens would accept the offer, sent a force with Pausanias as its leader.
COURSE • Greek army marched north towards Mardonius and Persians. • Mardonius fell back to Thebes, where the terrain was good for his cavalry. He built a wooden palisade and took up position along the Asopus River. • Greeks took position on foothills near Plataea because of the rough ground. • Omens said: If you defend, you win; attack, and you lose. They faced each other for seven to twelve days, trying to lure the other towards them. • Both sides faced supply problems. Persians intercepted Greek supply column of 500 mules. Then poisoned the Gargaphia Spring. • Greeks were to take position on a place called ‘The Island’. This retreat was done overnight.
Amompharetus said: “With this pebble (a word that in Greek meant also ‘vote’) I cast my lot against running away from the strangers.” • Mardonius realised their retreat at dawn. The Persians followed, hastily, after the Greeks. Greeks had split up. • Spartans Vs. Persians Athenians Vs. Boeotians • Pausanias waited for a good omen before attacking Persian soldiers. • “First their was a struggle at the barricade of shields; then, the barricade down, there was a bitter and protracted fight…for the Persians would lay hold of the Spartan spears and break them.” (Herodotus, The Histories) • Mardonius was killed and the Persian force broke and fled to their camp. Athenians, after finishing their battle joined the Spartans at destroying the camp and few Persians were left alive. • Greeks won.
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Consequences • Athens destroyed again. • Mardonius was killed by a Spartan who crushed his skull with a stone. • Most of the Persians died. “…out of the 300,000 men, not 3,000 survived.” (Herodotus, The Histories) • The Greek troops camped on the battlefield for 10 days. Gold tripod resting on the bronze coils of a three-headed serpent, inscribed with the names of the approximated 23 cities which had contributed to the victory of both at Salamis and at Plataea. “This is the gift the saviors of far-flung Hellas upraised here.” (Diodorus, History) • Having delivered their states from loathsome slavery's bonds • The dead were buried outside the city of Plataea. • Thebes is punished by the Greeks. Theban leaders killed. • Pausanias betrayal and death.
Significance • Put to end the invasion of mainland Greece by Persia. • This battle is often seen as one of the best examples of Greek unity. • Spartans illustrated their power and became allies with the other cities of Greece. “[Pausanias] won the most splendid victory which history records.” (Herodotus) • Re-emphasised the superiority of the hoplites over the ordinary infantry. • New supporters to the alliance. Samos, Ionians and Aeolians.
