On September 28, 480 BC, that is, almost two and a half thousand years ago, the first major naval battle in history took place in the Strait of Salam off the coast of Greece, which played an important role in the fate of the ancient world. At least, the first, described in several chronicle sources.
However, these sources are very unreliable, and at times are clearly fantastic. The only thing they agree on is that the Greeks participated in the battle on the one hand, and the Persians and their allies (Phoenicians, Cypriots, Egyptians, etc.) on the other, and the Greeks won a convincing victory.
There is great disagreement about the number of participants. For example, the ancient Greek chronicler Hyperides, who lived 100 years after the events described, estimated the size of the united Greek fleet at 220 ships, Aeschylus, who seemed to have personally participated in the battle, at 310, and another Greek historian, Ctesias, as much as 700.
As for the Persian fleet, the same Ctesias wrote that it had about 1000 warships, Diodorus of Siculus “more than 12 hundred”, and Aeschylus and Herodotus give a specific figure - 1207. True, it is not clear what it is based on.
In any case, all these estimates are most likely grossly exaggerated. Even if we assume that the Persian ships had on average only 100 crew members, including rowers (and this is quite small, on Greek triremes the staff size of the crew is 200 people), then the total number of personnel of the Persian fleet gathered in the Strait of Salam was, according to Ctesias, Aeschylus and Herodotus, from 100 to 120 thousand people.
This is an absolutely fantastic value, especially since, according to Aeschylus, only 40 thousand Persian sailors participated in the battle. Thus, either Greek historians overestimated the number of enemy ships many times over, or these ships were, in fact, large boats with crews of 30-40 people.
And considering that the overwhelming majority of them were rowers (on Greek ships - 80-85% of the crew), it turns out that on each Persian ship there were only a few soldiers. In general, the matter is dark, especially since not a single image of the then Persian ships has survived.
The same picture with losses. There is no reliable information on how many people and ships the Greeks lost. According to the book of the German admiral Alfred Stenzel "History of Naval Wars" published in the 19th century, the losses of the Greek fleet amounted to 40 triremes. However, the author does not explain where he got this figure from. Ancient historians on this score are amicably silent.
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Regarding the losses of the Persians, Herodotus wrote that after the battle they had 300 ships out of 1200, that is, it must be assumed that 900 were drowned or were captured (however, none of the Greeks mentions the capture of trophies). Aeschylus, who composed plays for the theater, does not give figures, but pathetically exclaims "the smoothness of the sea is hidden under the blood of the Persians!" No wonder he is called the father of classic tragedy. The rest of the ancient chroniclers ignore this issue, and Stenzel, again, it is not clear on what basis he estimated the Persian damage at 200 ships.
But, be that as it may, the history of sea battles went from Salamis. And the further, the more accurate and detailed it became. And on the headband - a modern drawing depicting the Battle of Salamis. Since, as I have already said, there are no authentic images of ancient Persian ships, the author depicted them on the model of the ancient Greek ones and even with characteristic Greek "eyes". One can only guess how much this corresponds to reality.
An approximate layout of the Greek and Persian fleets before the start of the battle. From this scheme it follows that there was no talk of any tactical methods, the battle was going on the principle of "wall to wall".
A very spectacular, but absolutely fantasy painting of the Battle of Salamis, performed by the German artist of the 19th century Wilhelm Kaulbach.
Another modern depiction of the Salamis massacre as presented by the illustrator of the English publishing house Osprey.
Reconstruction of ancient Greek warships.
Accommodation of rowers on the ancient Greek trireme and a monument that is loved by the local feathered fauna, erected by the modern Greeks on the shores of the Salamis Strait.