What were the major events of the Persian war?

Answer 1

The Battle of Salamis emasculated the Persian naval force and enabled Greek naval dominance of the Aegean Sea.

Addition

Greece was a poor country incapable of supporting invasion forces, so when Persian King Xerxes invaded Greece in 480 BCE to establish an ethnic frontier in the west of his empire, he had to rely on external resupply to support his 150,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry and 600 warships with 120,000 crewmen. The distances were such that wagons would have their load consumed in transit by the draught animals, so supply had necessarily to be by sea. The Persian war fleet was superior to the Greek one, so it provided both outflanking amphibious capability and protection for the resupply fleet; the amphibious capability meant the Greek forces could not concentrate, remaining at home defending their cities, and so able to be picked off one by one. The Greek strategy was to neutralise this war fleet, both to even up the operational mobility equation and, by depriving the Persians of supply, ultimately force their withdrawal. Given the inequality of the fleets, the Greeks determined to force sea engagements in narrow waters to minimise the effect of the opposing superior ships and numbers: they closed the land route to the south at the Thermopylai pass to force a Persian outflanking amphibious operation in the adjacent strait. When three days of naval engagements failed to give a Greek victory, and the Thermopylai position was outflanked on land, the fleet withdrew to the strait between Salamis and Athens, and by a stratagem of splitting the Persian fleet, defeated the main force and so exposed the sea supply line. With no resupply, Xerxes was obliged to take half his army back to Asia Minor and the remaining part had to withdraw and winter in northern Greece. The following spring the southern Greek states, no longer threatened by enemy amphibious landings, were able to concentrate in full strength at Plataia and defeat the remaining Persian army and its Greek allies. In parallel, the Greek naval forces captured the rump of the Persian fleet at Mykale in Asia Minor. Most Important EventRomantic stories of the stand at Thermopylai, based on it being designed to defeat the invasion, conceal the real strategies of both adversaries. The centre of gravity of the might of Persia outside Asia was its Egyptian, Phoenician and Asian-Greek war fleet. Its neutralisation at Salamismandated a critical enemy land force reduction and removed the threat of amphibious invasion of the Peloponnese states, allowing them to concentrate against and defeat the reduced enemy land forces.

Answer 2

499-493 BCE Persia suppresses Ionian Revolt in Asia Minor.

490 BCE Athens and Plataia repelled a punitive expedition from Persia, encouraging other Greek cities to stand up to Persia.

480-479 BCE Persia invades peninsular Greece and is repelled by cities under the leadership of Sparta.

478 The Delian league is formed, led by Athens and prosecutes a series of battles successfully, including Eurymedon 466 BCE and Cyprus 450 BCE, which persuades Persia to agree to peace in 449 BCE.

Answer 3

The Ionians of Asia Minor revolted - put down by the Persians.

The Persians set a punitive expedition to Eretria and Athens to bring them under control for supporting in the revolt - which was defeated.

Persia tried to gain control of the Greek world to stop further disruptions within its Empire - failed.

After further attempts to control Greek cities in Asia Minor Persia gave up the 50-year fight and left the Greek city-states to go back to warring with each other.

Answer 4

499-493 BCE Ionian Revolt supressed.

490 BCE Persian punitive expedition against Eretria and Athens turned back.

480-479 BCE Persian invasion of mainland Greece repelled.

478-448 BCE A series of battles fought on land and sea around the Aegean Sea won by THe Greek Delian League.

449 Prsia agreed to stay out of the Greek cities in the eastern Mediterranean.

Answer 5

The Ionian Revolt 499-493 BCE.

Persian punitive expedition against Eretria and Athens 490 BCE.

Persian invasion of mainland Greece 480-479 BCE.

Delian League war against Persia 478-449 BCE.

Answer 6

After early reversals, the Greek city-states united to become successful on both land and sea, forcing the Persians to agree to peace after 50 years.