History Shorts: Plataea and the end of the Persian War (479 B.C.)

The final major battle of the Persian War was fought at Plataea. An alliance of Greek city states, including Athens and Sparta, defeated Xerxes and the Persians. The year before, Xerxes defeated the Spartan defenders at Thermopylae, conquered Attica, and torched Athens. However, his naval defeat at Salamis left the conquest incomplete. In 479 B.C., the Persians looked to finish off the Greeks. After an eleven day stalemate, the Persians believed the Greeks were retreating. In reality, the Greeks were reorganizing due to a disrupted supply line. The Persians attacked and were routed. On the same day, the Persian navy was also routed in battle. Afterward, the Greeks spent 30 years clearing the Persians out of their territory. The victory led to the rise of modern western civilization with modern philosophy and democracy. It also created a Persian boogeyman for Alexander the Great to exploit and later destroy.


Here is how Hollywood and Frank Miller depicted the engagement: It includes the typical inspirational speech which predicts the rise of Western Civilization. The Greeks did not dress like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFOl-QXpLc4