Table of Contents
Where did Sparta and Athens stop King Xerxes march into Greece?
Battle of Thermopylae
The allied Greek city-states under King Leonidas of Sparta held off the Persian invasion for seven days in the Battle of Thermopylae, earning them a place in history for their last stand in defense of their native soil.
When did Xerxes lose to Greece?
480 BCE
Modern scholars estimate that Xerxes I crossed the Hellespont with approximately 360,000 soldiers and a navy of 700 to 800 ships, reaching Greece in 480 BCE. He defeated the Spartans at Thermopylae, conquered Attica, and sacked Athens.
Who stopped Xerxes?
The Greek forces, mostly Spartan, were led by Leonidas. After three days of holding their own against the Persian king Xerxes I and his vast southward-advancing army, the Greeks were betrayed, and the Persians were able to outflank them.
When did the Battle of Plataea start and end?
| Battle of Plataea | |
|---|---|
| The Greek world at the time of the battle | |
| Date August 479 BC Location Plataea, Greece Result Decisive Greek victory. Territorial changes Persia loses control of Attica and Boeotia. | |
| Belligerents | |
| Greek city-states | Achaemenid Empire |
What did Xerxes do to Athens when he conquered it?
The small number of Athenians who had barricaded themselves on the Acropolis were eventually defeated, and Xerxes then ordered Athens to be torched. The Acropolis was razed and the Older Parthenon as well as the Old Temple of Athena were destroyed.
Why did Xerxes lose to Greece?
Xerxes had spent years planning his invasion of Greece. It was to be his ‘divine punishment’ for his father Darius’ crushing defeat at Marathon in 490 BC. It was a suicide mission, designed to detain the Persians just long enough for the rest of the Greek allies to gather their forces.
Why did Xerxes leave Greece?
The Athenians and Spartans led the Greek resistance. About a tenth of the Greek city-states joined the ‘Allied’ effort; most remained neutral or submitted to Xerxes….Second Persian invasion of Greece.
| Date | 480 BC–479 BC |
|---|---|
| Result | Greek victory |
What year did Sparta declare war on Athens?
431 BC
Sparta and its allies became increasingly jealous and distrustful of Athens. Finally, in 431 BC, when Sparta and Athens ended up on different sides in a conflict over the city of Corinth, Sparta declared war on Athens. The first Peloponnesian War lasted for 10 years.
What did Xerxes do after the Battle of Plataea?
Following the defeat of his navy at Salamis, Xerxes retreated to Asia with the bulk of his army. According to Herodotus, this was because he feared the Greeks would sail to the Hellespont and destroy the pontoon bridges, thereby trapping his army in Europe.
Why did Xerxes want to go to war with Greece?
Originally, Xerxes was not bent on war with Greece. He crushed a revolt in Egypt and called together a council of war to determine whether he should undertake an expedition against Athens. ‘As you saw Darius himself was making preparations for war against these men; but death prevented him from carrying out his purpose,’ Xerxes concluded.
When did Xerxes destroy the Acropolis of Athens?
September 480 BC: Destruction of Athens, battle of Salamis. A few Athenians resisted in the Acropolis of Athens, which was stormed and burned down by the Achaemenid Army of Xerxes. Remains of the Old Temple of Athena on the Acropolis, destroyed by the armies of Xerxes I during the Destruction of Athens.
When did the Persians invade the Greek mainland?
The next year, 490 BC, the Persians once again sallied forth to punish Athens. This force, commanded by Datis and Artaphernes, captured the island of Euboea and used it as a staging area for the invasion of the Greek mainland.
Where did the Spartans come from to fight the Greeks?
The Spartans were joined by three to four thousand soldiers from the rest of the Peloponnese, cities such as Corinth, Tegea, and Arcadia, as well as another three to four thousand soldiers from the rest of Greece, meaning a total of around 7,000 men were sent to stop an army of 180,000.