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Strategies of the Persians and Greeks
Evaluate the Greek and Persian strategy in Xerxes' invasion of 480-47BC
In the years before the discovery of gunpowder, canons and nuclear weapons, ancient warfare relied on the adoption of sly and skilful tactics. This is clearly evident throughout the historical period of the "Third Persian Campaign" where Xerxes the Persian king (486-465 BC) invaded Greece seeking revenge for his father Darius' humiliating defeat at Marathon. In the time period of 480-47 BCE, the Persians and the Greeks used a variety of techniques such as intimidation, encirclement and more importantly the extensive use of naval vessels. Much of the Greeks' success also came about through their employment of trickery as well as their clever choice of battle sites.
We are firstly told by Herodotus that Xerxes spent four long years to planning his incursions. One of his main objectives was to travel across Greece without any drawbacks; this was achieved through his implementation of "scare tactics". In comparison to Xerxes' Persian forces, Darius' past army would have been seen as minute. The number of his troops was the largest ever to have been assembled in the ancient world consisting of an estimated 100 000 enslaved men from all over the Persian Empire, and most notably the inclusion of an elite corps of ten-thousand soldiers often referred to as the "Immortals". Just knowing these statistics would have sent alarm bells off in Greece, where city states such as Thrace submitted to the Persians without any threatening any form of conflict. The terrifying reputation that he had built for his army through the creation of the canal at Mt Athos and the construction of the floating bridge at the Hellespont, allowed Xerxes to achieve one of his main goals in these battles to march closer to his target Athens unthreatened.
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The first two battles in the second invasion of Greece were that of Thermopylae and Artemisium, which have been disputed to have been deliberate "distractions" known to have deterred the attention of the Persians away from the Athenian civilians allowing them to escape to Salamis. In the battle of Thermopylae, the legendary Spartan king Leonidas lead the Greek contingent behind a reinforced ancient stone wall which protected them from any harm for four days, another prime example of a protective barricade was the palisade built by the Persians in the battle of Plataea. Although Xerxes eventually managed to break through the Greek barrier many of the Persians were defeated, after the Spartans instigated their well-planned tactic where they would firstly simulated a retreat encouraging the Persians to chase after them, then return in full force and attack the unsuspecting enemy who by then would have separated into an unorganized mass from the run. This act saw the death of hundreds of Xerxes' frontline ranks and incredibly the demise of his highly valued Immortals.
Similarly to the battle of Marathon, the employment of spies was also evident in this battle. Xerxes' victory in Thermopylae was due solely to the knowledge of Ephialtes who lead the Persian aggressors on a hidden mountain path, which would allow them to reach the Greeks. This information enabled Xerxes to use another tactic- encirclement; this ploy was carried out by Persian commander Hydarnes and the immortals who surrounded the Greek troops. Despite the loss of 00 Spartiates and their king Leonidas, the number of Greek casualties had been reduced after Leonidas had sent the majority of his troops to safety after being informed by yet another spy
In the time surrounding the battles of Thermopylae, Artemisium, Salamis and Plataea- the Greek navy had the reputation of being one of the most powerful in the Mediterranean region. This was mainly due to their expert construction and use of triremes. These vessels were built for speed and outstanding mobility in water, which played key factors in their success in the straits of Salamis. Greek playwright Aeschylus recorded how the size of their vessels gave the Greeks an advantage over the larger and heavier Persian ships "Crushed ships lay unturned on the sea so thick that none could see the water, choked with wrecks and slaughtered me; while the shores and reefs were strewn with Persian corpses". The battle of Salamis also saw the use of naval formations such as the defensive position called the "kyklos" tactic- where the Greeks ships would form a circle with their bows pointing outwards towards the enemy. This arrangement prevented the ships from being rammed in the side, and was used when the fleet was outnumbered.
Both of the Persians and the Greeks were aware of each other's assets and weaknesses. Xerxes' forces relied heavily on the use of their cavalry whereas the Greeks invested in their navy. Each of the opposing sides chose certain battle sites to reduce the advantage these resources had. For example, in preparation for the battle of Salamis, the Greeks knew that the Persian ships would noticeably outnumber them. The straits of Salamis were the ideal location for the Greeks, as the narrow waters would enable them to fight the Persians on equal terms. Thermopylae was also selected for its narrow area, which would protect the Greeks from the fierce Persian cavalry. However Plataea was chosen by the Persians to allow the Persian commander Mardonius to maneuver their cavalry. Plataea was also chosen as it was a Persian ally.
The Persian wars are renowned for the intelligent use of primitive war tactics where weapons of this modern age were replaced with scare tactics, encirclement, the use of fast triremes and more significantly their employment of spies, deception and in their selection of locations of their battles. Whichever side used more of these above mentioned strategies would gain them the upperhand and usually were victorious in the conflict.
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