The Battle of Plataea is one of the largest land battles of the Greco-Persian wars, which took place, according to one version - on August 30, according to another - on September 9, 479 BC. e. (attempts to determine the exact date differ due to the error of the Greek lunar calendar). In this battle, the Persian army suffered a crushing defeat, and the military machine of the Persian Empire was completely destroyed. The Battle of Plataea radically changed the course of the Greco-Persian wars of 490-449 BC. e.
After the defeat of the Persians in the naval battle of Salamis, Xerxes took the fleet and part of the army to Persia. However, he did not think to give up attempts to conquer Hellas. A strong army of Mardonius was left in Greece, who received the title of satrap. In addition to the Persian troops proper, Mardonius counted on the armies of the conquered Greek cities.
In our time, it is difficult to estimate the size of the Persian army with its allies, because the evidence of ancient authors (especially Herodotus) is absolutely fantastic. According to modern historians, Mardonius had about 14,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry, in addition, there were 8,000 hoplites from among the Greek allies. Thus, the Persian army can be estimated at 30,000 people - a fairly large number at that time.
This was largely more than any Hellas city-state could supply, so the unification of Greece's anti-Persian forces was absolutely necessary. But uniting, however, was not at all so easy, including because of the actions of Mardonius, who tried, if not to split the Greeks, then, in extreme cases, to sow mutual mistrust in them.
From the winter camp in Thessaly, the Persian commander sent an ambassador to Athens, offering the city and residents full pardon, as well as cooperation on an equal footing. Mardonius, on behalf of his king, promised to forget all the grievances that the Athenians caused him, to give their state freedom and independence and to restore at his own expense everything that was destroyed by the Persians in Athens. In addition, the Persians agreed in advance that the Athenians seized as much land from their neighbors as they wanted.
The Athenians deliberately delayed the negotiations so that the Spartans knew about them. They were worried that they would not be left alone against the Persians, and also sent ambassadors to Athens, beseeching not to agree to the Persians' proposal, not to surrender the freedom of Hellas to the barbarians. Then the Athenians answered immediately to both, that neither on earth nor underground there was so much gold that the Persians could atone for crimes against the gods, whose temples and statues in Athens were destroyed by them.
In response to the refusal of the Athenians from an alliance with the Persians, the Persian commander moved troops from Thessaly to Attica. He again occupied Athens and again turned with peace proposals to their inhabitants, but from a position of strength. The Athenians again refused and turned to Sparta with a request for immediate assistance. The Spartans, fearing that Athens might not withstand the Persian pressure and go to peace, as a result, leaving Sparta alone with a powerful enemy, in the end, decided to perform.
Upon learning that the Spartans set out, Mardonius destroyed everything in Athens that was still there after the first invasion of the Persians, and retreated to Boeotia, since mountainous Attica was inconvenient for cavalry. The military forces of the Greek city-states managed to unite. Most of the city-states of Southern and Central Greece joined Athens and Sparta, so they managed to create an army like which Hellas had never collected.
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Herodotus calls a figure of 37,500 soldiers, modern historians estimate the number of Greeks at about 30,000 people. The general commander was the Spartan regent Pausanias; the Athenians were commanded by Aristides the Just.
The Persians could not attack the Greeks, who were in an advantageous position; the Greeks were careful not to descend on the plain, fearing the Persian cavalry. Mardonius sent cavalry to shell the enemy. The Greeks suffered heavy losses until the time when they could not gain the upper hand in one of the skirmishes, while Masistius, the commander of the cavalry, was killed. After this, the emboldened Greeks descended to the Asop River, taking up a position at the source of Gargafia for a better water supply. At the same time, the Spartans lined up on the right wing, the Athenians on the left, and other allies in the center.
The Persian commander, in turn, formed selected Persian infantry against the Spartans, Greek contingents against the Athenians, and the Medes and Bactrians against the allies. The sacrifices put before the battle were made, while the soothsayer Tisamen announced that the Greeks would win if they defend themselves, and defeat if they crossed Asop and attacked the Persians themselves.
This (that is, the disadvantage of an offensive battle) was already seen by both commanders, as a result of which, for 8 days, the armies stood against each other. Then, however, the Persian cavalry was able to intercept the supply train sent to the Greeks (500 carts) and fill up the source of Gargafia.
At a council of war, the Greeks decided to retreat to Plataei, which was done on the night of September 9th. But the retreat did not go according to plan. The allies, having got rid of the attacks of the Persian cavalry, almost fled to Plataea themselves. The Spartans, however, remained in their former positions for most of the night. The reason was that one of the Spartan commanders refused to "run away" and give his detachment an order for a "shameful" retreat.
He moved from his place only after Pausanias, after lengthy bickering, ordered the army to go, ignoring the remaining detachment. The Athenians, noticing the delay of the Spartans, also remained in place and advanced simultaneously with them, but on a different path. As a result, the dawn found the Greek army divided into three parts: the allies were at Plataea, the Athenians and the Spartans - halfway to the proposed position, but separated from each other by hills.
At dawn, the Persian cavalry, as usual sent out to harass the Greeks, found their camp empty. This was immediately reported to Mardonius, and he rushed with the Persian vanguard in pursuit of the Greeks, who, as he counted, had fled. But the Spartans, attacked by the enemy, gave him a staunch rebuff, at the same time sending to the Athenians with a request for help. The Athenians, however, could not help as they were attacked by the Greek allies of the Persians.
The Persians built fortifications of large wicker shields and showered the Spartans with arrows from behind it. Fleeing from the stream of arrows, the Spartans fell to the ground, covering themselves with shields, so that afterwards they would rise and begin a counterattack with slender phalanxes. The Spartans attacked and took the fortification, after which the battle turned into hand-to-hand combat.
With longer spears and heavier armor, the Spartans pushed the Persians back. At this time, the Greeks - allies of the Persians - attacked 8,000 Athenians, while the main forces of Mardonius attacked 11,500 Spartans. Mardonius tried to turn the tide of the battle at Plataea by leading a cavalry attack, but was knocked out of the saddle and killed; the bravery shown by him was especially noted by the Greeks. After the death of the leader, the Persians fled to the wooden fortification; having learned about the flight of the Persians, the Greeks who fought with the Athenians also fled (however, the Theban "sacred detachment" did not want to retreat and was completely destroyed).
The Spartans pursued the Persians, but because they were not accustomed to taking fortifications, they could not do anything until the Athenians approached. As soon as they arrived, the wooden fortification was taken, and its defenders were either killed or captured. Of the entire Persian army, only the rearguard, led by Artabaz, was able to escape, who, not believing in the possibility of victory, was late (as it was believed, deliberately) to the battle, and after the news of the flight of the army, he hastily took his soldiers away.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, at Cape Mikale in Ionia, the Greek fleet won a major victory over the remnants of the Persian fleet, which barely survived a year ago after the defeat at Salamis. The combined forces of the "invincible" Persian army were finally defeated.
The Battle of Plataea finally relieved Greece of the presence of the Persian army. Along with the battle of Mikala that took place on the same day, it marked a turning point in the war, after which the Greeks from the defending side turned into an attacker.
S. Domanina