The Persian Invasion of Greece

Paper Summary:

The paper details the Persian invasion of Greece in the fifth century B.C. It explains that many Greek cities had already been invaded, but at the battle of Marathon, the Athenians fought the Persians and obtained a victory, even though they were severely outnumbered. The paper explains that ten years later, Xerxes decided to avenge the defeat at Marathon and wanted to establish Persian control over the Mediterranean area. The writer details the battle that ensued and explains how the Greeks won the battle against all odds. The writer explains why it was relatively easy for the Persians to conquer many Greek cities in the earlier invasion. It explains that in part, this was because in each of the cities that was conquered, there were influential people living there who were supporters of Persia. In conclusion, the writer posits that had Greece not had a victory against the Persians, the history of the Greek world, and maybe the whole of Europe would have been very different.

From the Paper:

"Ten years later, the preparations made by Darius' son, Xerxes, to avenge the defeat at Marathon and establish the Persian control over the Mediterranean are complete. Preceded by awe inspiring preparations, like the construction of a bridge of boats over the Hellespont and the cutting of a channel over the isthmus at Mount Athos, the Persian Army again invades Greece, marching through Thrace, Thessaly and Locris. The Greek historian Herodotus states that the total number of Xerxes' land and naval forces was about 2,640,000 warriors. He said that when they were marching, they drank many a river dry. Modern historians agree that the actual numbers were actually probably between 200,000 and 300,000 warriors, and more than 1,000 ships. Herodotus describes in Book VII of his Histories the composition of Xerxes' army (chapters LXI - XCIX), which was highly heterogeneous, being composed from nations all over Asia as far as India and also some European nations."

More papers on The Persian Invasion of Greece:

• Analytical Essay # 64630 : "The Greek Art of War"
• Essay # 60368 : "Ancient Athens: Delian League To An Empire"
• Essay # 90717 : "Zoroastrianism"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: