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On August 27, 479 BC, during the Greco-Persian Wars at the Battle of Plataea, Persian forces led by Mardonius were routed by the Greek army under Pausanias. This battle with the Greek success at the Battle of Mycale halted the Persian invasion of Greece. An excerpt from the article:
"The Battle - Phase 1
In the spring of 479 BCE the Persian fleet regrouped at Samos, whilst in June Mardonius left his winter quarters in Thessaly and once again invaded Attica before withdrawing to hold a line in Boeotia, north of the river Asopus, where he built a large fortified camp.
The Greek fleet, meanwhile, regrouped at Aegina and then sailed to hold station at Delos whilst the land army mobilised. In July the Spartan army moved towards Plataea and met up with the other Greek contingents at Eleusis before all moved into position, forming a 7 km long front just 3-4 km opposite the Persians, below the low hills of Cithaeron.
Mardonius had the Persians hold the right flank, and in the centre were the Medes and the Bactrians, Indians, and Sacae groups. On the left flank were the pro-Persian Greeks. Cavalry forces sat slightly back, one group on each flank. Along the Greek front, the Spartans, Tegeans, and Thespians held the right flank and the Athenians, Megarians, and Plataeans the left flank, with everyone else in the centre. Once in position, everybody waited. After two days of stand-off when each side clung to the terrain best suited to their fighting tactics - the Persians on the plain and the Greeks in the broken terrain near the hills - Mardonius finally sent in his cavalry and in particular attacked the Megarians and Athenians. In the skirmish, only the presence of Athenian archers seems to have allowed the Greeks to hold their lines and the Persian commander Masistius was killed, a great morale booster for the Greeks.
Phase 2
The Greeks then advanced to the northwest, just south of the river on the Pyrgos ridge, to obtain a better water supply, but this movement brought no response from Mardonius. Both sides then held position for another week or so, once again reluctant to abandon their advantageous terrain. This is also a possible hint that the two forces were evenly matched in size and no commander wanted to risk outright battle. Mardonius did send his cavalry on a mission around the right flank of the Greek forces, and there they met a large supply column. The Persians slaughtered the poorly-armed Greeks and burnt the supplies - a serious blow to the enemy's logistics, as with so many men in the field, they were struggling to provide sufficient quantities of food and water, especially as Persian archers meant the river was out of bounds.
Two more days passed before Mardonius finally unleashed his cavalry in full frontal attack on the Greek lines. Causing great havoc amongst the Greeks, the invaders even managed to spoil and block the Gargaphia spring which was the Greeks' main source of water. It is quite probable that the Persian cavalry was also now harrying the enemy rear, cutting off their supply lines.
Phase 3
Pausanias, in order to protect his flanks and rear and in an effort to reach a water supply, now, under the cover of darkness, moved the Greek centre back to the base of the Cithaeron hill, just in front of Plataea. After some delay, caused either by confusion or disagreement with the decision to withdraw, the Greek right followed suit, while the left flank held position and, therefore, became isolated. When the left flank also retreated they were attacked from all sides by the pro-Persian hoplites, and the left Persian flank crossed the river in pursuit. At this point the cavalry had withdrawn, probably to rearm themselves with fresh arrows.
The superior weapons & armour of the Greek hoplites in the end proved decisive.
Just as the Persians looked like they were getting the upper-hand, though, the Greek right flank of Spartans and Tegeans counter-attacked. When the Greek left flank joined them, the Persian forces, boxed in by their own centre coming in behind them, lacking a disciplined formation and finally, inadequately defending themselves behind a barricade of wicker shields, were routed. Even more significantly, Mardonius was felled by a rock thrown by the Spartan Arimnestus and killed. The superior weapons and armour of the hoplites in the end proved decisive. The remnants of the Persians were forced back across the river in some disarray, their retreat only prevented from turning into a disaster by the cover offered by the Theban cavalry which allowed them to reoccupy their fortified camp. The pro-Persian Greek hoplites on the right flank were also forced to retreat under pressure from the Athenians, taking position behind the walls of nearby Thebes.
The Greek centre, no doubt inspired by the Spartan success, also entered the fray but did so without strict discipline of formation and so was outflanked by the pro-Persian cavalry and suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile, the Athenians, Spartans, and Tegeans were now at the Persian camp which they eventually stormed, causing more heavy casualties amongst the invaders. The Greeks then turned their attention to Thebes which was attacked and sacked. Victory had been won and the Persian invasion plans were now in tatters.
The Aftermath
Following the usual post-battle rituals - burials, taking of war-booty, and the setting up of trophies - the Greeks were far from finished. At the roughly contemporary Battle of Mycale in Ionia, the Greek fleet led by Leotychides landed an army which wiped out the Persian garrison there and killed the commander Tigranes. The Ionian states were sworn back into the Hellenic Alliance and the Delian League established. Further, the Chersonnese controlling the Black Sea and Byzantium controlling the Bosphorus were both retaken. The Greeks had sent a loud and clear message to Xerxes that Greece would not allow herself to be subjugated by foreign rule. Perhaps inevitably, wars continued in the following decades and the Greek states would be involved in the long and damaging Peloponnesian Wars, but victories at Marathon, Salamis, and now Plataea had ensured the survival of Greece and provided the opportunity for Greek culture and artistic excellence to flourish and become the foundation upon which all Western cultures would be based for millennia."
"The Battle - Phase 1
In the spring of 479 BCE the Persian fleet regrouped at Samos, whilst in June Mardonius left his winter quarters in Thessaly and once again invaded Attica before withdrawing to hold a line in Boeotia, north of the river Asopus, where he built a large fortified camp.
The Greek fleet, meanwhile, regrouped at Aegina and then sailed to hold station at Delos whilst the land army mobilised. In July the Spartan army moved towards Plataea and met up with the other Greek contingents at Eleusis before all moved into position, forming a 7 km long front just 3-4 km opposite the Persians, below the low hills of Cithaeron.
Mardonius had the Persians hold the right flank, and in the centre were the Medes and the Bactrians, Indians, and Sacae groups. On the left flank were the pro-Persian Greeks. Cavalry forces sat slightly back, one group on each flank. Along the Greek front, the Spartans, Tegeans, and Thespians held the right flank and the Athenians, Megarians, and Plataeans the left flank, with everyone else in the centre. Once in position, everybody waited. After two days of stand-off when each side clung to the terrain best suited to their fighting tactics - the Persians on the plain and the Greeks in the broken terrain near the hills - Mardonius finally sent in his cavalry and in particular attacked the Megarians and Athenians. In the skirmish, only the presence of Athenian archers seems to have allowed the Greeks to hold their lines and the Persian commander Masistius was killed, a great morale booster for the Greeks.
Phase 2
The Greeks then advanced to the northwest, just south of the river on the Pyrgos ridge, to obtain a better water supply, but this movement brought no response from Mardonius. Both sides then held position for another week or so, once again reluctant to abandon their advantageous terrain. This is also a possible hint that the two forces were evenly matched in size and no commander wanted to risk outright battle. Mardonius did send his cavalry on a mission around the right flank of the Greek forces, and there they met a large supply column. The Persians slaughtered the poorly-armed Greeks and burnt the supplies - a serious blow to the enemy's logistics, as with so many men in the field, they were struggling to provide sufficient quantities of food and water, especially as Persian archers meant the river was out of bounds.
Two more days passed before Mardonius finally unleashed his cavalry in full frontal attack on the Greek lines. Causing great havoc amongst the Greeks, the invaders even managed to spoil and block the Gargaphia spring which was the Greeks' main source of water. It is quite probable that the Persian cavalry was also now harrying the enemy rear, cutting off their supply lines.
Phase 3
Pausanias, in order to protect his flanks and rear and in an effort to reach a water supply, now, under the cover of darkness, moved the Greek centre back to the base of the Cithaeron hill, just in front of Plataea. After some delay, caused either by confusion or disagreement with the decision to withdraw, the Greek right followed suit, while the left flank held position and, therefore, became isolated. When the left flank also retreated they were attacked from all sides by the pro-Persian hoplites, and the left Persian flank crossed the river in pursuit. At this point the cavalry had withdrawn, probably to rearm themselves with fresh arrows.
The superior weapons & armour of the Greek hoplites in the end proved decisive.
Just as the Persians looked like they were getting the upper-hand, though, the Greek right flank of Spartans and Tegeans counter-attacked. When the Greek left flank joined them, the Persian forces, boxed in by their own centre coming in behind them, lacking a disciplined formation and finally, inadequately defending themselves behind a barricade of wicker shields, were routed. Even more significantly, Mardonius was felled by a rock thrown by the Spartan Arimnestus and killed. The superior weapons and armour of the hoplites in the end proved decisive. The remnants of the Persians were forced back across the river in some disarray, their retreat only prevented from turning into a disaster by the cover offered by the Theban cavalry which allowed them to reoccupy their fortified camp. The pro-Persian Greek hoplites on the right flank were also forced to retreat under pressure from the Athenians, taking position behind the walls of nearby Thebes.
The Greek centre, no doubt inspired by the Spartan success, also entered the fray but did so without strict discipline of formation and so was outflanked by the pro-Persian cavalry and suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile, the Athenians, Spartans, and Tegeans were now at the Persian camp which they eventually stormed, causing more heavy casualties amongst the invaders. The Greeks then turned their attention to Thebes which was attacked and sacked. Victory had been won and the Persian invasion plans were now in tatters.
The Aftermath
Following the usual post-battle rituals - burials, taking of war-booty, and the setting up of trophies - the Greeks were far from finished. At the roughly contemporary Battle of Mycale in Ionia, the Greek fleet led by Leotychides landed an army which wiped out the Persian garrison there and killed the commander Tigranes. The Ionian states were sworn back into the Hellenic Alliance and the Delian League established. Further, the Chersonnese controlling the Black Sea and Byzantium controlling the Bosphorus were both retaken. The Greeks had sent a loud and clear message to Xerxes that Greece would not allow herself to be subjugated by foreign rule. Perhaps inevitably, wars continued in the following decades and the Greek states would be involved in the long and damaging Peloponnesian Wars, but victories at Marathon, Salamis, and now Plataea had ensured the survival of Greece and provided the opportunity for Greek culture and artistic excellence to flourish and become the foundation upon which all Western cultures would be based for millennia."
Battle of Plataea
Posted from worldhistory.org
Ancient History
World History
Military History
Warfare
Combat
Posted 3 y ago
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