Timeline: Persian War

600 BCE

Overview

Greco-Persian Wars, also called the Persian Wars, a series of wars fought by Greek states and Persia over a period of half a century. This happened during the invasion of Persia that lunch a great invasion against the land of Greece. The Persian Empire was at the peak of its strength, the defense of Greek and the tactics help in order to liberate their territory against the powerful Persian Empire. It started in 492 BCE and ended in 448 BCE

500 BCE

Beginning of the Persian War

The first revolts by Green Ionian regions of Asia Minor began, in reaction to oppressive tyrants appointed by the Persians to oversee the territories.

498 BCE

Persians, led by Aristagoras with Athenian and Eritrean allies, occupied Sardis, located along what is now the western coast of Turkey.

The Ionians were Greeks that lived along the coast of Turkey. They were conquered by the Persians. When the Ionians decided to revolt they asked Athens and other Greek cities for help. The other Greek cities sent ships and weapons but were quickly defeated. The Persians didn't like this and decided to conquer the rest of the Greek cities in order to keep them under control.

492 BCE

Darius I of Persia invades Greece.

Persia, under the rule of Darius I, was expanding mainland in Europe and had subjugated Ionia, Thrace, and Macedonia by the beginning of the 5th century BCE. He sighted the city of Athens and the rest of Greece, Wealth and Resources is likely the cost of the Invasion.

490 BCE

A combined force of Greek hoplites defeat the Persians at Marathon.

When the two armies clashed on the plain of Marathon in 490 BCE, the Persian tactic is using a rapidly firing vast number of arrows into the Greeks. While for the Greeks tactics they use Phalanx formation this formation uses their long spears, heavier swords, better armor, and rigid discipline. Greek hoplites won a great victory against the Persian, after the way Persians fleet fled back to Asia and developed the strategy that will outnumber the greeks.

480 BCE

Thebes sides with Persia during Xerxes invasion of Greece.

After a decade after the Marathon, King Xerxes continued his predecessor Darius’ vision and gathered a huge invasion force to attack Greece again. Persian tactics were to invade Greece in the pass at Thermopylae on the east coast. A small group of army of Greeks led by Spartan King Leonidas held the pass for three days but were killed to a man. The Greek army managed to hold off the Persians at the indecisive naval battle at Artemision. these brought Greeks time to prepare for the war.

480 BCE

Xerxes I makes extensive preparations to invade mainland Greece by building depots, canals and a boat bridge across the Hellespont.

Xerxes returned to his palace at Sousa and left the gifted general Mardonius in charge of the invasion. The Persian position remained strong despite the defeat they still controlled much of Greece and their large land army was intact. After a series of political negotiations, it became clear that the Persians would not gain victory on land through diplomacy. Xerxes decides to strike another attack with a new plan to defeat Greece.

480 BCE

Battle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans under King Leonidas and other Greek allies hold back the Persians led by Xerxes I for three days but are defeated.

After when the Greeks hold the defense for three days, Xerxes ambush them In Thermopylae. When King Leonidas and the Greeks held their position, Xerxes once again sent envoys to offer the defenders the last chance to surrender without bloodshed if the Greeks would only lay down their arms. Spartan refuse to surrender, and Xerses defeated the 300 men of Sparta.

480 BCE

The indecisive battle of Artemision between the Greek and Persian fleets of Xerxes I. The Greeks withdraw to Salamis.

After the defeat of Kind Leonidas, A Xerxes ordered that Leonidas’ head be put on a stake and displayed at the battlefield. The Greek then withdraw to Salamis to prepare for the next phase of the war,

480 BCE

Cycladic city states contribute to the victorious Greek forces against the Persians at the battle of Plataea.

The defeat of Greeks at Thermopylae, allowed the Persians to make in-roads into Greece. In Salamis, the Saronic Gulf, the Greeks faced a much larger enemy force. The estimated 500 Persian ships against a Greek fleet of 300. In this war Persian Faceoff against the Athenian general, Themistocles.he formed a plan that will entice the Persian fleet into the narrow straits of Salamis and hit the enemy with their ship to crash them. Themistocles won and the remaining Persian ships retreated to Asia.

479 BCE

Xerxes' Persian forces are defeated by Greek forces at Plataea effectively ending Persia's imperial ambitions in Greece.

The Greeks' tactics to be in the center, was inspired by the Spartan success, entered the fray but did so without the strict discipline of formation. The Persian cavalry outmaneuver and suffered heavy losses. Athenians, Spartans, and Tegeans were now at the Persian camp which they eventually stormed, causing more heavy casualties amongst the Persians. The Greeks then turned their attention to Thebes which was attacked. Victory had been won and the Persian invasion plans were now in tatters.

479 BCE

Aftermath Of the Persian War

The Ionian states were sworn back into the Hellenic Alliance and the Delian League established. Further, the Chersonese 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.