The decisive Greek victories of 480 to 479 BC: the naval battle of Salamis and the strategy of Themistocles, the land battle of Plataea under Pausanias, the battle of Mycale, and the reasons for the failure of the Persian invasion.

What this dot point is asking

The period study ends with the decisive Greek victories of 480 to 479 BC that destroyed the Persian invasion. This page covers the naval battle of Salamis and the strategy of Themistocles (the wooden walls oracle, the evacuation of Athens, the trick that provoked the attack), the land battle of Plataea under Pausanias, the battle of Mycale, and the reasons the invasion failed. The topic rewards a ranked explanation of why the Greeks won and a critical reading of Herodotus, who shapes the climax of his whole work around these battles.

The answer

Salamis and the strategy of Themistocles

Salamis is the pivot of the war: it destroyed Persian naval supremacy, forced Xerxes himself to withdraw to Asia, and left only a land army in Greece. The choice of the narrows turned Persian strength into weakness, which is why Themistocles's strategy is usually judged the decisive factor.

Plataea and the role of Pausanias

Plataea showed that, given unity and good ground, the hoplite army could beat the Persians in a pitched land battle, not only in a narrow pass. Together, Salamis and Plataea broke Persian power in Greece by sea and land.

Mycale and the reasons for failure

On the same campaign in 479 BC the Greeks won at Mycale, on the Ionian coast, destroying the remnant of the Persian fleet and its supporting army, and reigniting revolt in Ionia, which shifted the war onto the offensive. The reasons the whole invasion failed can be ranked:

• Themistocles's strategy at Salamis, which neutralised Persian naval numbers.
• The quality of the hoplite army at Plataea.
• Greek unity at the decisive moments, despite earlier divisions and medism.
• The logistical strain of supplying so vast a force far from home.
• Persian command errors, including the decision to fight at Salamis and Xerxes's withdrawal.

Examples in context

A model answer ranks the battles and factors against each other and identifies a decisive turning point rather than narrating each battle in turn.

Try this

Q1. "Themistocles was the most important reason for the Greek victory over Persia." Assess how far you agree. [20 marks, period essay style]

• What the marker wants. An AO1 and AO2 argument weighing Themistocles's strategy at Salamis against the hoplite victory at Plataea, Greek unity, Persian logistics and errors, reaching a judgement on how far one man's contribution was decisive.

Q2. How did Themistocles interpret the oracle of the "wooden walls"? [2 marks]

• Cue. As meaning the Athenian fleet rather than the wooden defences of the Acropolis, persuading the Greeks to evacuate Athens and fight at sea in the straits of Salamis.