Changes

===Thermopylae===     

===Thermopylae===     

By 481 [[BC]], A large Persian force (described as five million by [[Herodotus]], but estimates range from this figure to as low as 250,000, which is still a substantial size) had been assembled to march along the northern coast of the Aegean into Greece. This was disturbing to the Greek city states, who convened at the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] to discuss the threat caused by the Persians.

By 481 [[BC]], A large Persian force (described as five million by [[Herodotus]], but estimates range from this figure to as low as 250,000, which is still a substantial size) had been assembled to march along the northern coast of the Aegean into Greece. This was accompanied by a large navy, which sailed down the coast alongside the troops. This was disturbing to the Greek city states, who convened at the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] to discuss the threat caused by the Persians. A loose alliance of several city-states, led by King [[Leonidas]] of [[Sparta]], and including around 5,200 troops was organized, and chose to hold a narrow mountain pass called Thermopylae. Despite great success In the first two days, the Greek alliance was compromised when a small Persian force found a route around the pass. The 300 Spartan and 700 Thespian soldiers volunteered to hold the pass the next day and allow the other city-states (Athens, Mantineia, Tegea, Corinth, Phocia, Floia, Thebes, Arcadia, and Mycenae) to retreat to fight again.

''Under Construction''[[The Battle of Thermopylae]]

Of the Greek city-states, Athens had the most powerful navy, so the leader of the alliance's navy was the Athenian Themistocles. At the Battle of Artemisium, he had ensured that the Persian ground troops and navy could not link up during the Battle of Thermopylae. After the Greeks lost the pass, Themistocles sailed south to the Strait of Salamis. Here he employed a tactic exactly similar to Leonidas. He aligned his small, fast ships across the strait. The straight, much like the mountain pass, was narrow, and very few of the larger Persian ships could go through at a time. Because of this, several of the faster Greek [[triremes]] could outmaneuver and sink the Persian ships a few at a time. Sometimes this was achieved by the trireme spearing the hull with a large ram on the front, others it was by the Greeks sending [[hoplites]] into the enemy boat and killing the crew and capturing the ship. The Persian navy was utterly destroyed, leaving the ground troops with no support.

 

[[Category:Wars]]

[[Category:Wars]]