Plataea 479 B.C.

After the naval battle of Salamis, Xerxes handed over command of the main army to Mardonius and then moved the fleet, and the rest of the army back to Asia to suppress any Ionian revolts. Mardonius withdrew to Thessaly and stayed there for the winter. With spring and the failure to any gain diplomatic initiatives, the Persians moved south and reoccuppied Athens for the second time. The Athenians again moving to the island of Salamis. Only when the Athenians threatened to accept Mardonius' terms which would place the Athenian navy under Persian control that Sparta decided to act.

The Greek forces were placed under the command of Pausanius, 38,700 hoplites and 35,000 Spartan helots and 35,000 other light troops. Mardonius withdrew to Boeotia where the country was more suitable for his cavalry. Here he established a fortied camp 1,800 sq metres, south of Thebes near the town of Plataea.

The Persian force consisted of approx 120,000 troops. Xerxes had appointed Mardonius - commander in chief, a decision that other Persian commanders may not have agreed with. Artabazus, also highly respected by Xerxes had his own views on how best to win the war. Whether his ideas would have achieved anything or not we will never know, however, his late arrival on the final day certainly did not help the Persian cause.

The Greeks entered the plain and first deployed along the foot hills near Erythrae, Connolly estimates the hoplites deployment alone would have extended about 5 km allowing a depth of 8 hoplites.
Mardonius sent his cavalry commander Masistius to attack. The Persian horsemen skirmished with bow and javelin and also assaulted the Greek line. The steep ground and supporting Greek light troops prevented the Persian cavalry from inflicted serious casualties on the hoplites except in one section where the ground was a little more open. Here the 3,000 hoplites from Megara were being handled roughly by the Persian cavalry. 300 Athenian hoplites with a unit of archers took over their position. In the fighting that followed, Masistis' horse was bit by an arrow, rearing in pain it threw the Persian general. Before he could get to his feet, the Athenians had surrounded him, thrusting at him with their spears.
Masistius survived the these initial blows until one of the Athenians stabbed him through the eye. Under his scarlet tunic, Masistius had worn a guilded scale cuirass which the Persians were not aware of. To deduce from this, either the wearing of armour under the tunic was not common amongst the Persians or the armoured cuirass worn by Masistius was so close fitting as to not be obvious. Possibly Masistius may not have wanted his fellow Persians to be aware of it, so as to impress them with his courage.
The Persian cavalry at first unaware of he incident returned to recover the body, after some savage fighting the Persians were forced back with the arrival of Greek reinforcements. While the Persian's returned to their camp to report the loss of their popular cavalry commander, the Greeks made a prize of his horse and placed his body in a cart and paraded it the length of the Greek line for all to see. The loss of Masistius greatly distressed the Persians and they stayed in camp for eight days mourning his death.

With the Greeks confident in victory and with sufficient numbers, they now moved 12km west to take new postions along the Asopus Ridge. The Greek line extended, nation by nation across these hillocks with the 5,000 Spartans taking the right wing which was the position of honour, and the left wing was held by the Athenians.
Here the Greeks had good access to water supplies from the Gargaphia spring.

But once in position the Greeks made no further advance. It seems the Persians waited until they had finished mourning the death of Masistius before they left camp. They deployed across the Asopus river opposite the Greek position. Mardonius positioned the native Persian troops facing the Lacedaemonians, the best of these troops facing the Spartans while the remainder covering the Tegeans on their left. The Persian troops outnumbered their opposition and were said to have deployed in greater depth than usual. To the right of the Persians, to cover the minor Greek contingents, Mardonius deployed the Medes, then Bactrians, Indians and then the Sacae (Sythians). Opposing the Athenians, Plataeans and Megarians were the Medizing Greeks from Boetia, Locris, Malis, Thessaly, Phocia and Macedonia. Other minor contingents within the Persian army included Phrygians, Mysians, Thracians, Paeonians, Egyptians and Ethiopians.

The following day both armies made sacrifice, the omens for both side being similiar, defeat for the side that attacked. Mardonius also made use of the Greek ritual when consulting the omens. For this he used Hegesistratus, who advised not to cross the Asopus. Both sides waited, obviously fearful of attacking first. However the Greeks were continually increasing in number as reinforcements arrived. After eight days of inactivity Mardonius sent his cavalry on a night raid and captured a supply train of 500 mules and men as they came down from the Cithaeron pass which lead to Plataea.

Another two days passed with neither side making a move, Mardonius tried to provoke the Greeks by advancing the infantry right up the the river, but this, nor the continual cavalry harassment gained a response.

Pausanias did make a move, although the reason is not understood. He ordered the redeployment of the Spartan and Athenians. The Spartans marched to the left wing to face the Medizing Greeks while the Athenians now moved to the right flank. Whether this was an attempt to provoke an attack or as plan a of another flank attack, one it seems to have achieved little. Mardonius only moved his Persian troops in response and then back again when Pausanias again swapped the Athenians and Spartans back to their original positions.
Mardonius then sent a herald forward with a message that chastised the Spartans for their inaction and when this too did not get a response he ordered a very cuning tactic. Part of the cavalry were to harash the Greek line with arrow and javilins while the remainder attacked the Gargaphia spring. The plan succeeded, the Persians managed to poison the water and block up the spring.
The Greeks had already been prevented from getting water from the Asopus River because of skirmishing cavalry and heavy archery fire and now had lost their last source of fresh water. Food was also in short supply because of the continual cavalry raids on their supply lines. Pausanius, now would have to attack.

Pausanius however made another decision.
The Greeks under the cover of darkness were ordered to withdraw back to the safety of the foot hills. This would allow them to re-open the supply route the Persians had cut off. However, the withdrawal did not go as planned. The Greek centre were able to withdraw quickly and reached the foot hills although they apparently did not reach the correct destination. The Athenians apparently waited for the Spartans to move first, but the Spartans were not moving. One regimental commander, Amompharetus, refused to desert his position even after a heated discussion with Pausanius. Just before dawn the Athenians finally began to move, the Spartans also on the march, leaving Amompharetus behind.

As dawn broke, Mardonius saw the Greek positions deserted. The Spartans were halted, waiting for Amompharetus who had finallly decided to withdrawal and was 2km behind.
Mardonius now had the opportunity he had been waiting for. The Greeks were not only in full flight but separated and strung out in march order.

Mardonius sounded the attack. The Persian cavalry raced after the Spartans, with the infantry following not far behind. Yelling and shouting with confidence of their expectant victory the Persians made no attempt to maintain formation. Amompharetus luckily reached the main Spartan army just as the Persian cavalry reached them. Although on the high ground, the Spartans were now pinned by the Persian horse. Pausanius formed up the Spartans into battle order and sent a message to Athenians asking for their assistance, insisting on at least the support of their archers. The Athenians however were not able to assist as they were attacked by the Thebans.

The Persians infantry had now formed up behind their large shields (Spara) within bow range and were pouring a heavy fire on the Spartans & Tegeans. Pausanius however would not give the order the advance. Suffering from the Persian archery, the Greeks now waited until the omens promised success. The Tegeans however could not wait and charged the Persians>. It seems that Pausanius' prays to Hera were answered, Pausanius now got the favourable sacrifice he had prayed for and ordered the Spartans forward.

The Persians now readied themselves to receive the charge. The Greek line hit the Persia shield wall with some force and after some fierce fighting overcame the barrier. Now the Spartan would have to pit their skill and training against the bravery and strength of the best of the Persian army. The Spartans kept a well ordered line as they pushed forward. The Persian line pulled back to fire arrows into the Greek ranks. Eager to get into hand to hand combat and demonstrate their courage, many Persian troops singly or or groups of 10 or more broke formation to charge into the Greek line. Confronted by a steady line of Spartans with their long thrusting spears, the Persians grabbed the spears and broke them with their hands. Although without the heavy armour and shields of the Greeks, the lightly armed Persians fought bravely and pressed the Spartans. Mardonius, riding his white charger and surrounded by 1,000 picked Persian troops, (it is not mentioned whether these were infantry or cavalry), fought in the front of the line. Unfortunately, Mardonius was struck dead by the Spartan, Arimnestus and with his death, the Persians fled back to their stockade.

The Greeks pursued the retreating Persians and slaughtered many of them. The Persians however were able to reach the safety of the fortified pallisade well before the Spartans reached them. This seems to be a result of the cavalry positioning themselves between their retreating countrymen and the pursuing Greeks. This screening action not only saved many lives but gave the Persians time to ready themselves for the assault on the stockade.

The Greek allied troops fighting on the Persian side unfortunately showed little heart for combat. Only the Boeotians distinguished themselves, losing 300 of their best troops during a long struggle that was eventually lost to the Athenians. After losing they fled back to Thebes rather than to the Persian stockade.

The Theban cavalry under the command of Asopodorus, distinguished themselves by their attack on the Megarians and Phliasians as they attempted to reach the fleeing Persians. The cavalry, attacked the unformed hoplites as they charged across the plain. Charging into this undisciplined mob they killed 600 of them and drove the rest into the hills.

The Spartans now advanced against the paliasade. The Perian defenders poured deadly archery fire from their elevated positions into their ranks. The Lacedaemonians no longer had the advantage and suffered heavily by the determined defenders. With the arrival of the Athenians the struggle continued for some time. The disciplined, dressed ranks of the Spartans were not suited for the task of assaulting fortifications and made no headway.

Many Persians must have been wondering what had happened to Artabazus. Not only had be failed to support Mardonius, but he had so delayed his advance that the Persians were already inflight before he was anywhere near the action. Now instead of moving to support the Greek allies against the Athenians or even move his 40,000 troops back to the palisade, he wheeled around and headed to Phocis in an attempt to reach the Hellespont.
So as over a third of the Persian army marched back home the reminder fought on bravely.

The Tegeans were the first to breach the palisade and the other Greeks followed. Givng no quarter, the Greeks killed the last of the defenders looting the camp and murdering the camps non-combatant men and women.

Mycale 479 B.C.

Mycale, on the shores of Anatolia, near the island of Samos was the site of one of the last battles of the 'Second Persian War'. Herodotos (IX.90) says the battle occurred on the same day as the battle of Plataea. The battle is described as a naval battle as it ended with the destruction of the last of the Persian fleet in the Aegean, but all fighting took place on land.

The Greek fleet, commanded by the Spartan King, Leotychidas pursued the Persian fleet in anattempt to engage it. The Persians, no longer confident of winning a naval engagement against the Greeks, dismissed their Phoenician naval contingent and moved the remainder of the fleet to Mycale. Here they joined up with approximately 60,000 troops under the command of Tigranes, the tallest and best looking man in the Persian army. Xerxes had stationed these troops at Mycale to guard Ionia.

The Persians beached their ships and pulled them clear of the high tide mark. To protect them, they built a fortication of stone and timber, with a outer ring of of sharpened stakes.

The Greeks expecting a naval battle, instead found a strong infantry force drawn up along the beach. Leotychidas took his ship close into shore and got a crier to shout an appeal to the Ionians. Whether the Persians were aware of their earlier defeat at Plataea or not, their reaction was to disarm the Samians and ordered the Milesians to guard the passes above their position.

The Athenian division under the command of Xanthippus, the father of Pericles, landed on the beach and advanced on the Persians as soon as they had formed up.
The Spartans however, landed at another site, I assume this was due to insufficient room to unload the entire Greek fleet at one area. They then had to march some distance to reach the Persians who had deployed in front of the fortication.

The Persians do not seem to have attempted to oppose the the landing but rather deployed behind a shield wall, their large shields were interlocked and secured by partly burying them in the sand. From there they could bombard the Greeks with archery fire.

The archery fire possibly is one reason for the Athenians not waiting for the Spartan arrival.

Persians repelled assault after assault on their shield wall, inflicting heavy casualities on the Greeks. When eventually the Athenians did manage to burst through the shield wall the Persians were still able to hold the assault.

Unlike Plataea where the Persians were able to retreat back to their pallisade with the support of their cavalry, the Persian at Mycale did not have the same cover and the Athenians pursued them closely and forced an entry.

The battle may still have continued for sometime with no side certain of victory had it not been for the desertion of the Ionian Greeks who joined in the attack on the Persians. With the arrival of the Spartan division the Persian army turned and fled. Except only for the Persians themselves who continued to fight in scatterred groups the rest fled to the hills.

The two naval commanders Artayntes and Ithamitres managed to escape, however the army commanders Mardontes and Trigranes were killed in the fighting.

Aftermarth.

The lost of the battle and the burning of the Persian ships had serious consequences for the Persians.

The destruction of the Persian fleet meant the Greeks had secured protection against further invasion from Asia and were free to dominate the Aegean under the subsequent Delian League.

After the battle Xanthippus then moved against Sestos, the Athenians besieged the city which fell in the spring of 478 BC. Sestos was a key Hellespontine city and a strategic gateway into Greek territory. However hostilities in this region did not cease immediately. For many years Persian troops remained in Thrace and conflict did not end until the Peace of Callias in 449-48 BC.

The most serious consequence of the destruction of the forces at Mycale for Xerxes was that it enabled the Ionian islands to revolt from Persian rule. In Herodotos' words(IX -105),

Their loss meant a major loss of revenue for Xerxes.