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Why did the Greeks think that Thermopylae was a good place to defeat the Persian army?
Wiki User
∙ 6y ago
To stop the Persian land advance in order to force them into a sea battle in narrow waters in the nearby strait.
The Persian navy threatened the Greek cities, and these cities kept their armies at home to counter the threat. By defeating the Persian navy the Greeks hoped to end this amphibious threat and so allow their city armies to concentrate against the Persian army, rather than the cities being picked off one by one.
The Persian navy also protected the supply fleet on which it's army depended as a poor country like Greece could not support it.
The naval battle failed, so the Thermoplyae blocking position was to no avail. However a second naval battle at Salamis destroyed the Persian naval power. With the supply lines now exposed, and the Greek countryside unable to provide food during the upcoming winter, half the Persian army was sent home. With the amphibious threat gone, the following year (479 BCE) the Greek cities concentrated their armies at Plataia and defeated the remaining half of the Persian army and its Greek allies.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThey invaded mainland Greece to install puppet governments friendly to them to stop Greek interference within their western empire.
Thermopylae was a pass along the route from northern to southern Greece. It was held temporirily to precipitate a sea battle by forcing the Persians to try to outflank the pass by sea: the Greeks wanted to destroy the Persian sea power which threatened the southern Greek cities and prevented them from concentrating their armies against the Persian army. In fact this sea battle went against the Greeks, and they withdrew their fleet and abandoned the Thermopylai defence as its purpose had expired.
Wiki User
∙ 6y agoThey didn't imagine they could defeat the Persian army at that stage as the Persian fleet was threatening their home cities and each kept its army at home to defend their own city. The Greek plan was to first defeat the Persian fleet and only then could their armies come out to unite and face the Persian army.
So they put a small blocking force at the pass at Thermopylae to force the Persians to attempt to outflank it by sea, and were waiting with their own combined fleet in the strait next to the pass to pounce on the Persian fleet in the narrow waters of the strait of Artemesium where the Persian superiority in ship numbers and heavier ships would be neutralised.
This went according to plan except that the Persians won the naval battle and the Greek fleet was withdrawn to try again at Salamis. The 7,000 Greeks blocking the pass, their mission complete, were withdrawn, the Spartan and Thespian contingents staying behind to cover the withdrawal and getting slaughtered.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe narrow pass removed the advantage of Persian numerical superiority .
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Who were the main combatants in the battle of Thermopylae?
The Trojan War took place in Greek Mythology during a time period where countries as they are known today did not exist. The war was fought between the city of Troy and the Achaens, who formed a collective of Greek city states. The city of Troy would have been located in modern-day Turkey.
How were the Ionian rebellion and the battle of Marathon precursors for the battle of Thermopylae?
The Ionian rebellion brought in support from mainland Greek city-states Eretria and Athens. After suppressing the revolt, Persia sent an expedition to capture those two city-states and put them under control of local tyrants to stop them causing trouble within the Persian Empire. This expedition was defeated, so the Persians decided that the only way to end Greek revolts was to bring all the mainland city-states under a Persian governor. They mounted a full-scale invasion by land and sea. The southern Greek cities were thus under threat of a sea invasion, and had to keep their armies at home to protect their cities. They decided that their solution was to destroy the Persian navy, so they could then bring their armies out to unite and defeat the Persian army. They set up a blocking force at the pass of Thermopylae to force the Persians to turn the position by sea, and the Greek navies were waiting in the nearby strait of Artemesion to pounce on the Persian fleet. Unfortunately for the Greeks, their fleet lost the sea battle, and with the blocking force at Thermopylae of no further use, it was withdrawn. The Spartan and Thespian elements of that force remained in place to cover the withdrawal, and were lost. The Greeks tried again at Salamis and succeeded in destroying the Persian fleet, hen were able to assemble their armies the following year at Plataea, and won, so the invasion was defeated.
Why did Persians lose the battle of salamis?
After the western Greek citiy-states led by Sparta had defeated the Persian navy at Salamis, the Persians could not feed their army during the oncoming winter and had to send half of it home. The remaining half, with 40,000 Greek allies, was therefore now about the same size as the southern Greek alliance of city-states. The difference was that the Persians had strong cavalry but unarmoured infantry. The Persian infantry could not stand up to the Greek armoured infantry and relied on their cavalry to harass the Greeks. So the Greeks selected Plataea as the right place where they could fight over broken ground where the Persian cavalry could not get at them. The result was the defeat of the Persian army.
Why was the battle of Plataea a turning point of the Greeks?
it was thy non turning point but for the sumerians it shall
How long was the battle of Thermopylae?
The Battle of Thermopylae took place in late summer or early fall of 480 B.C.E. In response to the latest Persian invasion of the Greek homeland, a small group of Greek allies, led by a soon-to-be-famous contingent of Spartans, assembled at the choke-point of the pass of Thermopylae in the hope of defeating, or at least delaying, the Persian army approaching from the north.
Why did the Greeks choose Thermopylae as a place to oppose the Persians?
The Greeks had to eliminate the Persian naval threat to their city-states in order for their armies could leave off defending them and unite to face the Persian army. They blocked the pass of Thermopylae to force the Persians to attempt to turn it by sea. The Greek fleet waited in the nearby channel to pounce. Unfortunately for them they lost the sea battle and the force of 7,000 holding Thermopylae was withdrawn. The Spartan and Thespian contingents stayed behind to cover the withdrawal and were killed. The Greeks tried again a Salamis and were succful, and their armies united the following summer to defeat the Persian army at Plataea.
The Battle of Thermopylae took place in what war?
The Battle of Thermopylae took place in the second of the two Persian Wars, also known more recently as the Greco-Persian Wars.
Which Persian Wars took place near marshes?
The persian wars that took place near marshes were the Thermopylae and Marathon wars.
Why did the Greeks choose Thermopylae as the place to oppose the Perseans?
There was a narrow pass leading to southern Greece. By blocking it, they hoped to force a sea battle in the adjacent strait and defeat the Persian fleet and so remove the sea threat to their cities. the sea battle failed, and the blocking force vacated the pass.
Why did the Greeks choose Thermopylae as the place to oppose the Persians?
To force a sea battle in the narrow strait adjacent. The object was to destroy the Persan flet which threatened the Grek cities, and also protected the Persian supply fleet.
Why was the Thermopylae battle held on Thermopylae grounds?
Because it would have been just stupid to hold the Battle of Thermopylae in, say, London.The Battle of Thermopylae (like many battles) was named for the place in which the battle took places. "Thermo" means "Hot" and "Pylae" means "Gates". The area was called the "Hot Gates" because the sharp cliff faces made passage very thin, like the imagined entrance into the fires of hell.The main Persian advantage over the Greeks was sheer numbers, which meant that the best chance for the Greeks to prevail was to force the Persians into a position where they could not outflank the Greeks and make the amount of fighters on each side more balanced. Because of how thin the passage was through Thermopylae, it was deemed as an excellent site to provide this type of position.
What was the naval battle ending the Persian threat to the Greeks to place at?
Cyprus 450 BCE.
Why is the battle of thermopylae called a vicotry in defeat?
The Battle of Thermopylae was a Pyrrhic victory (victory in defeat) for the Persians because although they won the battle, the Persian land forces were exhausted and it led to their defeat at Salamis. The outstanding events at this battle was that approximately 300 Spartan soldiers fought to the death in thisbattle. They , yes were vastly outnumbered. But it spoke to the courage and skills of the Spartan soldiers.This helped the Greek city-states to win the overall war.
Who were the main combatants in the battle of Thermopylae?
The Trojan War took place in Greek Mythology during a time period where countries as they are known today did not exist. The war was fought between the city of Troy and the Achaens, who formed a collective of Greek city states. The city of Troy would have been located in modern-day Turkey.
Where was the pass at in which 300 Spartans died?
The narrow coastal pass of Thermopylae . August or September 480 BC
A famous naval that was crucial in ending the Persian threat to the Greeks took place at?
Salamis 480 BC.
How did the battle Thermopylae help Athens even though the Greeks lost?
The Greeks lost in the battle of the hot gates, but the 300 held the place for the rest of the army and navy to win now that the 3 days that were forbidden to fight were over.
