Complete detailed information on the Persian War

The Persian War was a war in which the ancient Persian Empire (the first Persian Empire, the Achaemenid Dynasty) invaded Greece in order to expand its territory. The war ended with Greece winning and Persia defeated. The impact of this war on the economies and cultures of the East and the West was far greater than the war itself.

The Greco-Persian War was the first large-scale international war between Europe and Asia in world history. This war lasted for nearly half a century. As a result, the Greek city-states and institutions survived, but the Persian Empire never recovered. Basic introduction name: Greco-Persian War Location: Greek mainland, Thrace, Aegean Islands, Asia Minor, Cyprus and Egypt Time: 499 BC to 449 BC; 492 BC to 449 BC amp; 500 B.C. to 449 B.C. Participants: Greek city-states, Persian Empire Result: Greece finally won the victory Main commanders: Mediades, Ataphernes Greek commanders: Leonidas, Di Mistoclepos Commanders: Datis, Xerxes I, Darius I Territorial changes: Macedonian, Thrace and Ionian independence Historical status: The first large-scale international war between Europe and Asia English ：Greco-Persian Wars war background, ancient Greece, Persia, first invasion, sending troops to Greece, Battle of Marathon, second invasion, Persian attack again, Battle of Thermopylae, Empty City Strategy, Battle of Salami Gulf, third invasion, The end of the war, historical records, the bloody battle of Thermopylae, the naval battle of Salamis, influence, historical significance, military significance, war background Ancient Greece In ancient Greece, due to terrain restrictions, many city-states were separated by mountains, with only a very small amount of land in between. transportation, so every city-state and small country regards itself as "the world". There are friends within the city walls, but enemies are everywhere outside the city walls. Therefore, hundreds of city-states arose in Greece proper, on the coasts of the Aegean Sea, and on the islands. Among them, two city-states, Athens and Sparta, developed relatively rapidly and powerfully. As the population of each city-state increased, the Greeks began to immigrate and colonize coastal areas. At the same time, due to the limited food production in the state, seizing the enemy's crops became a regular combat goal. Therefore, various city-states often have wars. In Sparta, the men did not live at home, but only in the barracks preparing for war. Once a year, the boys were brutally whipped to test their ability to endure pain. Girls must undergo rigorous physical training in the hope that they can pass on their stronger physical strength to their children so that they can guard the castle in the future. Persia Persia was a slave country in ancient West Asia. It was a large empire that developed through conquest. By the time of Darius' reign (522 BC - 486 BC), Persia had become the first large empire spanning Europe, Asia and Africa in the ancient history of the world. The main components of the Persian army were the naval fleet, cavalry and archers. In 546 BC, the Persian Empire destroyed Lydia and took the opportunity to attack the Greek city-states in Asia Minor. Its first target was the various Greek city-states in the Ionian region. The economy of the Ionian region was very developed and its politics was also a relatively advanced democracy. The Persian king then made unreasonable demands to the Greek city-states in the Ionian region to change their democracy to a monarchy, in order to find an excuse to declare war on them. Persian War Situation Map (Large Edition) In 513 BC, King Darius I further controlled the Black Sea Strait and Thrace, directly threatening the security and interests of the city-states on the Greek peninsula. In 500 BC, the Ionian city-states could not accept it, so they launched a resistance movement against Persia (Ionian Revolt), led by Miletus. Miletus knew that it could not resist Persia, so it asked Sparta for help, but Sparta refused to send troops. Instead, the two city-states of Athens and Eretria sent troops to rescue them. Although the two city-states sent a large number of soldiers and warships to rescue them, they still lost to the Persian army after persisting for several years.

In 494 BC, Persia completely conquered the Ionian region, the city of Miletus was destroyed, and some Greek city-states that raised troops to revolt with Miletus were also brutally sacked. During this period many of Ionia's best figures fled to other parts of Greece, spreading a civilization hitherto confined to Ionia to other parts of the Greek world. The first invasion, sending troops to Greece. The Persian Empire had long had ambitions to invade the west, so it decided to send troops to Greece on the pretext that Athens and Eretria had aided Miletus. He first used diplomatic offensive to drive a wedge between the Greek city-states. Then in the summer of 492 BC, King Darius I of Persia sent Mardonius to dispatch 25,000 land and naval troops to cross the Hellespont and advance along the coast of Thrace toward Greece, but his ships were Cape Athos was mostly destroyed by a hurricane, and the land was also attacked by the Thracians and forced to retreat. In the spring of 490 BC, Darius I sent Datis and Artaphenes to lead an army of about 50,000 people (including nearly 400 warships) on their second expedition to Greece. First they captured and destroyed the city of Eretria, then moved south and landed on the Marathon Plain, about 40 kilometers northeast of Athens. Battle of Marathon While Athens urgently mobilized all Athenian citizens to fight in Marathon, it also sent long-distance runner Felipedes to Sparta at night to seek help. He ran 150 kilometers in two days and arrived in Sparta on September 9. Although the Spartans agreed to send troops, they claimed that they could only send troops to help when the moon was full. In this way, the task of countering the Persian invasion fell entirely on Athens. Athens sent Miltiades to organize 10,000 hoplites to fight the Persian army on the plains of Marathon, where the Persian army landed, while Athens was defended by the navy. On the morning of September 12, the marathon battle began. The Greek infantry occupied favorable terrain. The Persian army was twice the size of the Athenian army, so Miltiades arranged his entire army in a simple parallel battle order of the same length as the Persian army, and placed his elite on the wings. Athens took advantage of the fact that most of the Persian army's cavalry had not arrived at the battle site and pretended to launch a frontal attack. In the early stages of the battle, the Persian army relied on its superior strength and adopted a central breakthrough tactic. The Athenian army's middle was forced to retreat by the Persian army step by step, and the Persian army's middle was therefore highlighted. The elites of the Athenian army on both sides immediately surrounded the Persian army in the middle. As a result, the Persian army was surrounded and completely defeated. The Persian navy, which attacked Athens by sea, could not defeat the Athenian navy. The Persian army had to retreat. After winning the Battle of Marathon, a soldier named Felipedes ran back to Athens to deliver a message. Because he ran 42.193 kilometers at a top speed, he fell to the ground and died after reporting the victory. This is also the origin of the long-distance marathon. The Battle of Marathon became one of the examples in the history of ancient warfare where a small number defeated a large number. Only 192 Athenian soldiers were killed in the Battle of Marathon, while the Persian army lost 6,400 people. However, this was not a major blow to the huge Persian Empire. Therefore, the Persian Empire was still looking for opportunities to attack Greece after this war. In the next 10 years, both sides prepared intensely for war. Persia recruited a large number of soldiers and supplies, built a large number of ships, erected pontoon bridges, and dug canals. In Greece, Athens built more than 100 triremes, expanded various defenses, and strengthened naval training. More than 30 city-states formed a military alliance and elected Sparta, which has a strong army, as its leader and is ready at any time. Fight against the Persian invasion. The Second Invasion: Persia Attacks Again In the spring of 480 BC, the successor King of Persia, Xerxes I (Xerxes I), personally led an army of 250,000 people and 1,000 warships to invade Greece again. Faced with the Persian army again pressing the border, Athens immediately entered a state of preparation for war, with Themistocles as its commander and Aristides as its lieutenant. This time, Persia's so-called millions of troops were pressing down on the border, which made all the city-states in Greece feel that their life and death were on the line. Therefore, they formed an alliance to fight against Persia. Even the city-states of Sparta also participated in the fight against Persia. The Persian army divided its land and water routes, marched westward along Thrace, occupied northern Greece, and forced some city-states to surrender. The Persian army then marched to Thermopylae. Battle of Thermopylae. King Leonidas of Sparta used his 300 elite soldiers and 7,000 people from other city-states in the Peloponnese to defend Greece's first line of defense, Thermopylae.

After a while, Xerxes' uncle Artabano plucked up the courage and said: "Your Majesty, not all things that glitter are gold. The fineness of gold can only be identified on the touchstone. It is useful to listen to the objections. It's good. Please remember the Marathon Battle! Don't forget that lesson!" When the "Marathon Battle" was mentioned, everyone couldn't help but take a breath, and Xerxes had an unpredictable look on his face. He seemed lost in thought. The Battle of Marathon was the first battle of the Greco-Persian War and the first major setback for Persia since its founding. In this battle, Athens only suffered 192 casualties, but the Persians left 6,400 corpses and lost 7 warships. Darius I hated him all his life. Xerxes returned to reality from the memories of the past, thinking that although his father had suffered a loss back then, it was due to the incompetence of the general. As long as he personally commanded and conquered, there was nothing he could not conquer, and no one could be dissatisfied. Conquering the Greeks would not be a good example of himself. Is he more capable than his father? Thinking of this, Xerxes couldn't help but feel hot and ambitious. Regardless of his uncle's dissuasion, he immediately ordered all-out preparations to attack Greece. The bloody battle at Thermopylae Time flashed to 481 BC, and this was already the fourth year of Xerxes' preparations for war. Xerxes raised an army of 250,000 from 46 countries and 100 ethnic groups that surrendered to Persia. His battle plan still followed Darius's approach of focusing on land attacks. Travel through Thrace, Macedonia and then south to Greece. Although this road is long, it is safer than crossing the Aegean Sea, and it is conducive to using a large number of troops to take advantage of the Persian army's superiority in numbers. Facing the aggressive Persian invading army, the Greeks organized an unprecedented joint operation. More than 30 city-states gathered in Corinth and formed an anti-Persian alliance, vowing to share the same hatred and resist the powerful enemy. King Leonidas of Sparta was elected commander of the army, and the commander of the navy was also appointed by the Spartan Euribiades. The army is based on the most elite Spartan army, and the navy is based on Athens, known as a maritime power, with a total army of 110,000 people and 400 warships. However, all the military forces mobilized throughout Greece were much weaker than their powerful Persian opponents. As a result, the coalition generals put forward suggestions one after another, and finally everyone decided that only the Greek coalition with insufficient strength could stop the Persian army's attack by guarding Thermopylae. Thermopylae is a narrow passage along the coast, running east-west. The "middle gate" is the joint of Thermopylae. The Greeks also gathered about 7,000 heavy infantry here, including 300 of Leonidas' own Spartans. Up to the elite King's Guard. The terrain of Thermopylae was difficult and the mountain roads were narrow, so large troops could not move, and cavalry and chariots were useless. Xerxes therefore adopted a storming strategy of heavy infantry attacking in turns, in an attempt to use the numerical advantage to defeat the Greek coalition forces. But Leonidas took advantage of the terrain advantage of Thermopylae, where "one man can guard the pass, and no one can open it". From a commanding position, he commanded his troops to use sharp spears to stab the enemies holding Persian knives fiercely. The Persians fell one after another, attacking day after day, but failed to advance a step. Xerxes had no choice but to bring out his most elite 10,000 undead troops into the battle, but apart from leaving behind a large number of corpses, he still could not attack. Seeing this, Xerxes was so anxious that he stood up from the throne where he was supervising the battle three times, frowned, shook his beard, and roared manically. That evening, Xerxes was sulking in the camp. The guards quietly brought in a man, who turned out to be a local farmer named Epiates. The Greek traitor knelt on the ground and said humbly: "Your Majesty the Emperor, I know a small road that allows you to go around the rear of the Greeks without anyone noticing. As long as you give me a reward, I will immediately take your Come and see." When Xerxes heard this, he was overjoyed and immediately ordered the Greek traitor to lead the guards along the thorny path straight into the back mountain. Originally, Leonidas had already deployed more than 1,000 garrison troops from the city-state of Phossis on the mountain ridge next to the path. But since there had been no fighting for several days, they relaxed their vigilance. It was not until the sound of noisy footsteps came from the silent darkness that they hurriedly went into battle. The Persians had arrived, and arrows came like raindrops. The Phocians were defeated. The Persians did not pursue them and attacked directly behind Thermopylae.

Leonidas learned that the Persian army had circled back and knew that the situation was over. In order to preserve his strength, he transferred soldiers from other city-states who had no fighting spirit to the rear, leaving only the 300 soldiers he brought to fight. The Persian army came with a loud killing sound, and the Spartans, who were attacked from both sides, fought bravely. They stabbed with their spears, and the spears broke. Then they drew their swords and struck, but when their swords broke, they rushed forward to fight the enemy hand to hand with their fists and teeth. In an instant, the entire battlefield was filled with blood and corpses were strewn across the field. It was too horrible to see. During the fierce battle, Leonidas, who was bruised and bruised, collapsed from exhaustion, and there were not many Spartans still fighting. They were gradually compressed onto a small hill. Although they were exhausted, no one dropped their weapons and surrendered. The blood-thirsty Persians surrounded the remaining Spartans and threw raindrops of javelins at them at the command, until the last man fell. At this point, Hot Spring Pass was finally captured. The bloody battle at Thermopylae, which cost the lives of more than 20,000 Persian soldiers, was undoubtedly a nightmare for Xerxes. When he thought of the Spartan warriors who fought bloody battles to the end and would rather die than surrender, he asked with fear: "Are all Spartans like this?" After capturing Thermopylae at the Battle of Salamis, the Persian army marched straight in and attacked the city of Athens. . However, the city of Athens was empty, there was nothing. Xerxes was furious and ordered the largest and richest city in Greece to be set on fire. It turns out that in Greece at that time, there had been a prophecy circulating: Greece's fate could only be saved by wooden walls! However, Themistocles, the outstanding naval commander of Athens, put forward his own unique insights into the ancient prophecy. He said that the future of Greece was on the sea, and the wooden walls in the prophecy referred to large ships. Therefore, he suggested that all women and children take refuge in Trocine in Argos and on the island of Salamis, while all men took warships and gathered in the Gulf of Salamis. After a heated debate, the Citizens' Assembly finally accepted his proposal. Just as the Persian army was heading straight for Athens, the Persian navy also bypassed Euboea, passed Attica, and arrived at Pilieus, the outer port of Athens. They responded by land and water, and had the potential to swallow up mountains and rivers and flatten Greece. In the early morning of September 20, 480 BC, the Persian fleet completed the encirclement of the Greek fleet. At the western end of the Salamis Strait, 200 Egyptian warships arrived at the designated position on time, blocking the Greek fleet's retreat; at the eastern end of the Strait, more than 800 Persian warships lined up in three rows, blocking the sea tightly. The sky had just broken, and the sea was covered with mist. Xerxes, who was determined to win, couldn't wait to put on his clothes and ordered the gilded throne to be moved to the top of Aigaros overlooking the bay. He wanted to personally watch the destruction of the Greek fleet. Standing next to him is a historian with a pen, ready to truthfully record the glorious victory of the Persian navy. The Greek combined fleet, which was forced into a desperate situation, quickly deployed its formation under the command of Themistocles: the Corinthian fleet sailed to the west entrance of the gulf to withstand the Egyptian attack; the main fleet was concentrated at the east end of the strait, and 180 Athenian warships were deployed at the eastern end of the strait. On the left wing, 16 Spartan warships were on the right wing, and the warships of other city-states were in the center, competing with the main Persian force. After the battle began, the performance advantages and disadvantages of the warships on both sides were quickly revealed. Themistocles took advantage of his small and fast ship and tactfully directed the Athenian warships to continuously attack the Persian warships in a diagonal direction. He used a copper-clad crossbar about 5 meters long on the bow to first hit the bulky Persian warships. The battleship's long oars broke, then it turned its bow and slammed into its belly with the copper-encrusted bow. The Persian warships were rammed and sunk one by one. After a fierce battle, the Persian forward fleet could not resist and was forced to retreat. The Persian warships that were reinforcing from behind did not know the situation of the battle. They rushed forward with the sound of flutes and drums. Since there was a favorable wind, the support warships with full sails rushed into the bay and collided head-on with the retreating forward ships, creating a mess. Seeing this, Themistocles took the opportunity to command the entire army to attack in all directions. The Greeks fought more and more bravely, until the setting sun was like blood, and the sea was full of broken ship fragments. The Persian navy was no longer interested in fighting, leaving its comrades in the water, and evacuated the Salamis Strait in despair.

Military significance Military scholarship developed greatly during the Greco-Persian War. Greece strategically correctly determined the decisive areas and main assault directions at each stage of the war, determined war methods based on the battle situation and balance of forces, and created the famous battle formation of the phalanx during the war, which had a profound impact on the military of Western Europe.