Second Greco-Persian War. Greco-Persian Wars. The main stage of the Greco-Persian War

Did the Spartans really believe in their chosenness, in their virtues? Or, deep down, they reasoned like this: would they like to spend a weekend from time to time and have at least a little fun? We don't know this. But we do know that the Spartans created an idea of ​​themselves as people, absolutely happy with their virtuous life.

Peloponnesian League

However, despite the fact that the Spartans had the most trained army in the world, they did not use it in battles with other armies. This is incomparable war machine, but apparently, Sparta reasons like this: we will not risk it, we will admire it, we will not use our shields until it is necessary.

This system was surprisingly effective for two centuries. But then, for reasons not entirely clear, she began to look beyond her borders potential victims of conquest.

Perhaps the military machine was in danger of rusting, perhaps they just wanted to really fight. The Spartans were confident that they could easily defeat any of their closest neighbors. They were ready to annex a new territory and introduce the same system on it.

But at the same time appeared on the horizon real threat Spartan rule: a nation with an army of millions, determined conquer Greece. These were Persians.

At the beginning of the 5th century BC. They intended to first conquer in, then move deeper into the mainland. This will affect the entire history of Greece over the next two centuries. From generation to generation will feel the threat posed by. How Sparta and Athens responded to this threat would both divide and unite the Greek world.

At the end of the 7th century BC. Greece was free confederation- more than a thousand independent city-states with their own character and reputation.

Athens were the largest of them, with a diverse cultural life, great architecture and mighty fleet. But Sparta, which was looked at with respect by all the policies around the Aegean Sea, had none of this. Sparta placed culture on the sacrificial altar of war. Sparta was armed camp.

This meant that the education system was mainly focused on military affairs. Was created secret police, it was considered necessary to temporarily separate from the rest of Greece. Sparta didn’t need colonies, didn’t need a navy, they had one problem: keeping them in line.

At the end of the 8th century BC. Sparta subjugated Messenia- a country whose population was at least 10 times the population of Sparta. Sparta installed special type of slavery, and also, with the help of highly qualified soldiers, pursued a policy of terror in relation to. Sparta was the first country in which what later became known as Western military discipline: modern principles of training, marching, formation, attack - all this was invented by the Spartans.

In this chaotic world of war, the Spartans learned that warriors who stick together, who do not allow their system to be broken, represent a formidable force and will defeat any enemy. The Spartans, one might say, acted gracefully: they could change the nature of their actions on the battlefield if necessary.

The Spartans also completely reconstructed their weapons. The main element was the meter, or shield. Every soldier carried it. From here the word was born, meaning a Spartan warrior and those who later acquired the same appearance.

Armament of a warrior were: a long spear and a short sword. He wore a heavy helmet with two slits for sight, and bronze armor. All this together weighed about 30 kilograms. Those. it turned out that a medium-sized man was carrying almost half the weight of his body. Yes, even in the summer. Absurd! So what's the big deal?

Apparently, the point was in the very established mechanism of the war, when its fate was decided for some half an hour of contraction between two neighboring city-states. And the Spartans mastered this method of combat better than anyone.

The outcome of the battle was decided by quick, decisive, deadly tactics based on cohesion and mobility. But for almost 100 years this is new art of war was more theory than reality.

Then in the 6th century BC. The Spartans were no longer satisfied with the fact that they only had Messenia under their control. They decided to expand their territory at the expense of their northern neighbor - the city-state.

However, Sparta was one of the most religious cities; it would not act without hearing words of approval from the gods. Therefore, for the blessing there was a delegation was sent.

It was believed that Apollo spoke through the priestess, or. Greek oracles were part astrologers, part fortune tellers, part charlatans. People often heard what they wanted to hear. The pilgrimage to Delphi resembled not so much a trip to a soothsayer or medium, but a journey to.

Around 560 BC. Sparta conquered Tegea. At the same time, she did not just win the war. Tegea, instead of becoming an enemy, becomes an ally, and perhaps the first ally, because later there will be many of them - throughout most of it and beyond.

By the end of the 6th century, the formidable Spartan machine had convinced a number of city-states in the Peloponnese to join it. This powerful association became known as Sparta at its head. His goal was to create a force capable of confront Athens- not in order to take possession of this mighty policy, but so that avoid a fight with him.

There is a simple rule: if you have tangible military superiority and a corresponding reputation, you can avoid clashes. That's how it was politics of Sparta. They are very rarely entered into battle because they knew that there was always a risk of failure.

Cleomenes the Mad

But an ominous threat from the East forced Sparta to leave its closed world. Persia when she ruled the largest empire the world has ever known. Among the states she conquered there were many former Greek policies, including the one located in. However, after several decades of Persian oppression and ruinous exactions.

In 499 BC. they sent a delegation to the king of Sparta. He refused to help the Ionians. The result of this decision was a chain of events that changed the course of history.

Not all Greeks shared Cleomenes' sober judgments. The Athenians decided to support the rebellious Ionians. Despite the help of Athens, the Ionians were defeated the mighty empire of Darius I. And the Persians did not forget about the support provided to the rebels by Athens.

Having suppressed this rebellion, the Persians began to think seriously about the brave souls in the West who dared to interfere in what the Persians considered their internal affairs.

Meanwhile, Cleomenes began ruthless annexation neighboring city-states in order to strengthen and expand the Peloponnesian League.

At sea, approximately 750 warships, called , were accompanied by several hundred supply ships. The huge Persian fleet operated in tandem with ground forces. It was a war machine of unprecedented power, which required skillful management in any situation.

The interaction between the Persian ground forces and the Persian fleet was of particular importance. In this kind of war this is always important. The army had to have a close relationship with the navy, since the navy guaranteed the safety of supply ships.

The Greeks, accustomed to battles involving several thousand people, were about to meet a truly an inexhaustible stream of enemy troops.

After much debate, it was decided to take a position in a picturesque place known as "hot gate" due to nearby sulfur springs. The route to the south lay through Thermopylae.

In 480 BC. The passage of Thermopylae barely reached 20 meters wide. It was here that Xerxes' enormous numerical superiority could lose its significance.

This was probably one of those decisive moments when the people realized that they had to hold out, and that if they did not, the Persians would not only overcome this pass, it would cause the Greek morale to be broken and they would lose the war .

If the Greeks were able to contain them at Thermopylae, the Persian army would be in some sense discouraged: this “monster” had to be constantly fed with victories.

The Spartans were led by a king who, during his 11 years of reign, conducted more than one campaign. But to win this war, he will have to make extreme sacrifices.

It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast than between these two armies, two societies: Xerxes on the throne, dictating to secretaries, and Leonidas in front of his squad.

King Leonid's mission was to hold off the Persians so much so that the Greek generals had time to gather their troops at. They needed time to prepare a counteroffensive. If the Persian army with all its might had freely swept south, it would have fallen first, then.

Everything was planned brilliantly: to create a kind of dead end for this huge army at Thermopylae. When the Greeks arrived at Thermopylae, they rebuilt the wall that had been in the passage before. The point was to narrow the space as much as possible. The Persians would not have been able to bring all their troops into battle, because they would have been forced to fight in an extremely limited space - directly in front of the wall.

Meanwhile, the oracle at Delphi advised pray to the winds, since they will turn out to be good allies for the Greeks. This advice had scarcely been received when a strong storm broke out. The formidable Persian fleet was scattered along the entire coast, with approximately 200 ships going down.

Xerxes was enraged by this unexpected loss and puzzled by the challenge presented to his powerful army at Thermopylae. The great king sends a scout there to get an idea of ​​the enemy. He sees that the Spartans are not even thinking about surrendering or offering negotiations. They are calm, they put themselves in order, comb their hair, clean their weapons. Those. they are not only not afraid of the upcoming battle, they are waiting for him with interest. The horseman stood there in amazement and simply could not believe that this handful of people intended to defend the passage.

And then the evasive envoys of Sparta decided that it was time to end this political chess game: Greeks will unite for one decisive battle with the Persians near the city.

They all had to obey one commander, and here Sparta’s claims to supremacy made themselves felt. The Spartans at that time were ruled not by a king, but by a regent.

By the summer of 479 BC. the number of Persian troops increased to 50 thousand. Sparta mobilized 5 thousand of its best warriors, Athens - 8 thousand. Then Sparta also armed 35 thousand helots, promising them freedom for their valor on the battlefield.

Apparently, Pausanias had good organizational skills and a military sense, and perhaps a diplomatic sense. He knew how to unite this huge motley mass torn apart by internal conflicts. It is possible that only a Spartan could have inspired the Greek troops at that moment.

Both commanders waited for 11 days on the plain near Plataea: Mardonius with the Persian cavalry in the north, Pausanias with the Greek infantry in the south. Finally, at dawn, the Persians broke the calm, rushing to attack.

The Persian cavalry was capable of inflicting serious damage on the Greek troops. The Greeks were forced to rearrange their battle formation. Although the 5,000 Spartan hoplites made up only 10% of the allied forces, their discipline, heavy armor and long spears made them a formidable force. The Persians in their fragile armor can do little, trying to somehow resist the spears that strike without missing.

Heavily armed Spartans turned the battlefield into a river of blood, the Persians were killed like cattle. Victory to the Greeks owe first of all to Sparta. It was a battle hoplites, and the Spartans had the most strong army hoplites. If Salamis was the landmark victory of the Athenians, Plataea was the landmark victory of the Spartans.

The end came when the Persian general Mardonius was killed. His guards fled, and the remaining Persian soldiers were ready to follow their example.

Greek losses were minimal - about a thousand. Fifty thousandth the Persian army suffered a crushing defeat. In essence, she no longer posed a threat. King Xerxes' dreams of conquering the West were put to an end forever.

Causes and periodization of the Greco-Persian wars

The formation of the polis system in Ancient Greece was completed by the end of the $6th century. BC e. It was a time of intensive development of economic relations, strengthening the position of the middle strata of society, and creating conditions for the development of science and culture. However, before reaching the peak of prosperity, the country had to go through severe trials. A huge danger loomed over Hellas, calling into question its very existence ancient civilization, and it came from the powerful Persian power. For Persia, which had a trained army and unlimited financial and human resources, the conquest of small, warring states seemed an easy task. In addition, rich Greek trading cities promised great profits, and control of the Eastern Mediterranean was an important strategic goal of the Achaemenid state.

Thus, historians have put forward several reasons for the start of a series of Greco-Persian wars.

• Persia's false idea of ​​the military weakness of the polis states.
• Strategic necessity to seize the territory of the Balkan Peninsula
• The enormous impact of Greek culture on the countries of the Near East.

The war of the Greek city-states with Persia was considered not just as a military conflict, it was a struggle between two civilizations in which fate should be decided further development Greek civilization. This fact led to the severity of military clashes and the mobilization of the entire military-economic potential of the Greek city-states in the fight against the aggressor.

Note 1

The Greco-Persian Wars lasted from $500 to $449. BC, became one of the most protracted military conflicts of antiquity and included five campaigns.

• $500-$494 BC e.- Ionian revolt.
• $492-$490 BC e.- The first invasion of Persia into the territory of Balkan Greece. Marathon battle.
• $480-$479 BC e.- Conquest of Xerxes.
• $478-$459 BC uh.- A turning point in the war, the liberation of the Greek colonies in the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor. Strengthening Athenian military influence.
• $459-$449 BC e.- military expedition of the Athenian Maritime Union to Egypt, the end of the Greco-Persian wars.

Ionian revolt

The Greek city-states in Asia Minor submitted to the Persians in the first half of the 6th century. BC e., where the conquerors initially adhered to a relatively soft policy, interfering little with inner life policies, encouraging the development of maritime trade without burdening taxes. But, with the coming to power of Darius $I$, politics central government changed dramatically. In an effort to centralize the vast state, Darius began to actively interfere in the internal affairs of the subordinate territories, transferring local administration to the Persian satraps.

Definition 1

Satrap is the deputy of the Persian king at the head of the region. Military and civil power was concentrated in his hands (he collected taxes, administered justice, gathered troops, kept order).

The cities were subject to tribute and numerous duties. In trade matters, Darius gave priority to the Phoenicians, which was detrimental to the interests of the Greeks. Discontent began to grow in the cities of Asia Minor, which was further fueled by the plans of the central administration to seize Balkan Greece. All this led to uprisings against Achaemenid rule. The first to declare his rebellion largest city- Miletus. In $500$ BC. e. Satrap Aristagoras, taking advantage of the growth of anti-Persian sentiment, resigned from his administrative duties, restored the activities of the city's institutions and called on residents to an armed uprising. Many Ionian cities followed the example of Miletus. They expelled the satraps, restored the city administration and concluded the Ionian League in the fight against Persia. The Union sent out a call to join the rebels throughout all the cities of Asia Minor. Aristagoras became its leader. Realizing that without the help of Balkan Greece the chances of success are minimal, he goes there asking for help, but the mission did not receive the attention it deserves. Only Athens responded, sending a small squadron of $20 ships. Sparta, which the Ionians most counted on, refused, citing a lack of experience in warfare on the high seas.

True, initially, the Ionian uprising developed quite successfully. Summer $498$ BC e. The Greeks attacked Sardis and destroyed the city, but were never able to take the Acropolis, where the satrap and garrison Artaphrenes were located. IN next year The Greek fleet defeated the Phoenicians near the island of Cyprus.

The uprising posed a serious threat to Persian power in Asia Minor, so Darius took the most decisive action to suppress it. Additional contingents were transferred here, which, together with the garrisons on the ground, were united into two armies, coming from different directions. First, the cities of Cyprus and the south of Asia Minor were conquered, then the policies of the Black Sea coast. Gradually, the Persian forces approached two main centers - Ionia and Miletus. Miletus surrendered in $494 BC. e. after a year of siege and was completely destroyed, and the inhabitants were killed or sold into slavery.

Note 2

The defeat of the uprising was predetermined from the beginning. The military-economic potential of the scattered Greek colonies under complete absence help from the metropolises could not be compared with the potential of the huge Persian power. However, suppressing resistance took a lot of time and effort from Darius. Fearing repeated unrest, the Persians restored polis institutions in the covered Greek territories.

First invasion of Greece by the Persian army

Having brought the cities of Asia Minor to submission, Darius decided to conquer Balkan Greece under the pretext of punishing Athens and Eretria, which sent a fleet to help the Ionian uprising. A $30,000 army and an impressive fleet of $600 ships were formed especially for this campaign. The king's son-in-law, Mardonius, was appointed commander-in-chief. His initial task was to capture the northern coast of the Aegean Sea, the territory of settlement of the Thracian tribes, Macedonia, and, under a favorable combination of circumstances, invade Greece and capture Athens.

In $492$ BC. e. Mardonius crossed the Hellespont and captured the northern coast of the Aegean Sea, the southern Phoenician tribes, the island of Thasos and the territory of Macedonia. But near Cape Athos, the Persian fleet was caught in a storm and was destroyed on the coastal rocks, as a result of which Mardonius withdraws the remnants of the army to Asia Minor.

Darius again began to prepare for the invasion of Greece. At the same time, the command makes a bold but risky decision to cross directly from Asia Minor to Attica and immediately defeat Athens. After waiting for calm weather, the Persian commanders landed on the island of Euboea, then crossed to Attica, to the town of Marathon, located 42 km away. from Athens. Here on a wide plain, the Persians could safely station their entire army and use excellent cavalry. At this time, the Persian fleet could round Cape Sunium and blockade the city from the sea. The situation was made worse by the fact that the Persians were advised by the former tyrant Hippias. In addition, the Athenian command did not have a coordinated plan of action. To top it all off, Sparta refused to help Athens, citing the holding of a religious holiday.

In these extremely unfavorable circumstances, the talented commander Miltiades stands out. He was the ruler of Chersonese of Thracia, often encountered the Persians and knew well the features of their military organization. At $490$ B.C. e., being one of the strategists, he proposed a plan of military action, which ultimately led Athens to victory. At the suggestion of Miltiades, it was necessary to impose his battle tactics on the Persians, lead the army to Marathon and give a decisive battle there. $12$ September $490$ BC e. the famous Battle of Marathon took place, where two absolutely different systems military organization: the Greek heavily armed phalanx and the loose formation of the Persians. Miltiades in this battle used a new formation of the phalanx, stretching it from one hill to another, protecting the army from encirclement and attack by cavalry. To give it maneuverability, he divided it into three parts: the left flank, the center, and the right flank, which could act independently.

The Greek victory was absolute, the enemies left 6 thousand soldiers on the battlefield, while the Athenians lost $192 $ hoplite. After the victory, the fast walker ran to Athens, he reached the Agora and with the exclamation “Victory!” fell dead. In memory of this episode, running competitions over a distance of $42$ km were established in the Olympic Games. $192$ m.

Taking advantage of the presence of the entire Athenian army in Marathon, the Persians tried to strike from the sea, but Miltiades foresaw this move, so he returned the troops to the city with a forced march. Realizing the futility of the siege, the enemy fleet retreated to the shores of Asia Minor.

The victory of Athens was not only of great strategic importance, but also of great moral significance. It showed the superiority of the Greek military organization and the strength of small Greek city-states. The famous Persian army, which had an impressive superiority, was completely defeated by the civilian militia. It became clear to the Persian king that the conquest of Hellas would require the mobilization of the financial and human resources of the entire state.

The Greco-Persian Wars are the period of the most significant battles in the history of Ancient Greece, which played a large role in the formation of the state. As a result of half a century of military conflict, there was a redistribution of power on the continent: the once powerful Persian power fell into decline, while Ancient Greece entered its period of greatest prosperity.

General characteristics of the period

The Greco-Persian Wars were a protracted military conflict in which two independent states, Greece and Persia, during the reign of the Achaemenids. This was not a single battle, but a series of wars that lasted from 500 to 449 BC. e., and included both land campaigns and sea expeditions.

This historical period of time is called fateful, since the large-scale expansion of Persia to the west could have had great consequences for the entire ancient world.

Rice. 1. Army of Persia.

The main reason for the Greco-Persian wars was the desire of the Persian kings to gain world domination. Possessing a huge army, inexhaustible resources and impressive territory, Persia planned to conquer Greece, thereby gaining free access to the Aegean Sea.

Tired of enduring the oppression of the Persian tyrant Darius I, in 500 BC. e. the inhabitants of Miletus raised an uprising, which quickly found a response in other cities. The large Greek cities of Eretria and Athens provided assistance to the rebels, but after several victories the Greeks were defeated.

TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this

The enraged Darius vowed not only to take revenge on the Euebians and Athenians, but also to completely subjugate rebellious Greece. Many cities immediately expressed their submission to the Persian king, and only the inhabitants of Sparta and Athens resolutely refused to bow their heads to the despot.

Major battles of the Greco-Persian Wars

The Greco-Persian wars were not constant, and only a few major battles went down in history.

• Battle of Marathon (490 BC) . In 490 BC. e. the Persian flotilla approached with north side to Attica, and the army landed near the small settlement of Marathon. Locals They immediately received reinforcements from the Athenians, but the Persians were far outnumbered.

Despite the significant superiority in troops, the Greeks, thanks to the military tactics of the commander Miltiades, were able to win a brilliant victory over the Persian army. This success incredibly inspired the Greeks, who destroyed the stereotype of the invincibility of the Persians.

According to legend, one of the warriors, trying to bring the good news of victory to the Athenians as quickly as possible, ran from Marathon to Athens. Without stopping for a minute, he ran a total of 42 km 195 m. Having notified the people of the defeat of the Persians, he fell lifeless to the ground. Since then, athletics has introduced a running competition over this distance, which is called marathon running.

• Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC). The next battle took place only 10 years later. By this time, the Greeks were able to build an impressive fleet thanks to the discovery of a rich silver mine in Attica.

A new campaign in Greece was led by the new king Xerxes. The Persian army was advancing on Hellas from the north by land, and a huge flotilla was heading along the sea coast.

The decisive battle took place at Thermopylae. For two days, the Persians, who far outnumbered the Greek troops under the command of the Spartan king Leonidas, could not break through. However, as a result of the betrayal of one of the Greeks, enemy troops found themselves in the rear.

Leonidas gave the order to everyone to leave the battlefield, and he himself remained with 300 Spartans to die in unequal battle. Later, in memory of the heroic deed of Leonidas, a statue of a lion was erected in the Thermopylae Gorge.

Rice. 2. Battle of Thermopylchus.

• Battle of Salamis (480 BC). After the victory at Thermopylae, the Persian army went to Athens. This time the Greeks had all their hope in a fleet of approximately 400 light and maneuverable ships. The battle in the Salaman Strait was incredibly fierce: the Greeks fought desperately for their freedom, the lives of their wives, children, and parents. Defeat for them meant eternal slavery, and this gave them strength. As a result, the Greeks won a brilliant victory, and Xerxes with the remnants of the fleet retreated to Asia Minor, but part of his army still remained in Greece.

Rice. 3. Ancient Greek fleet.

• Battle of Plataea (479 BC). In 479 BC. e. A major battle took place near the small town of Plataea. The Greek victory in this battle marked the beginning of the final expulsion of the Persians from Greece and the conclusion of peace in 449 BC. e.

The Greco-Persian Wars had great consequences for both states. The unbridled expansion of the Achaemenids was stopped for the first time, and the ancient Greek state entered the era of its highest cultural achievements.

Table “Greco-Persian Wars”

Event	Date	Head of the Persians	Greek commander	Event value
Marathon Battle	490 BC e.	Darius I	Miltiades	Victory of the Athenians. Destruction of the legend of the invincibility of the Persians
Battle of Thermopylae	480 BC e.	Xerxes	Leonid	Huge losses for the Persians
Battle of Salamis	480 BC e.	Xerxes	Themistocles	Defeat of the Persian fleet
Battle of Plataea	479 BC e.	Xerxes	Pausanias	Final defeat of the Persians
Peace with the Persians	449 BC e.			Restoring the independence of the ancient Greek state

Sources.

The main source is labor Herodotus"History", which ends with the events of 478.

A number of other historians talk in one way or another about individual events and aspects of these wars. Aeschylus in the tragedy “The Persians” he described in vivid images the naval battle of the Greeks with the Persians on the island of Salamis.

Persia and the Greeks on the eve of the war..

Originating in the village. 6th century BC and the Persian power, which conquered all the nearby states, achieved power during the reign of King Darius 1. Tribute was systematically collected from the conquered peoples, which gradually depleted their economic capabilities. Therefore, the Persian state was interested in conquering new territories.

Continuing the policy of conquest necessary for the Persian state, and also with the aim of strengthening his power over the rich cities of the Asia Minor Greeks, Darius undertook a campaign against the Scythians.

The Scythian nomads chose the most appropriate tactics in the fight against the Persian invasion. Avoiding a decisive battle, they destroyed wells and food along the route of the Persian army, exterminated small detachments of Persians who were separated from the main forces, and by these measures weakened and disorganized the Persian army. Darius 1, after a series of failures, had to stop the futile campaign and turn back.

But the Persians captured Byzantium, and the entire eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Persians were recognized by Macedonia and Egypt. The borders of the Persian state came very close to Greece.

In Greece the question arose of whether to start a war with Persia or not. Only the consciousness of the great inequality of power kept the demos of the Greek city-states from active actions against Persia. On the contrary, the aristocracy was not averse, at the cost of recognizing the supreme power of the Persians with the support of the Persian king, to regain the dominant position it had lost, and in those policies where the aristocracy remained in power, relying on the Persians, to strengthen it. Thus, there was no unity in the Greek foreign policy towards Persia. Persia knew this and hoped to subjugate Greece without much difficulty and extract large new revenues from it. The only thing missing was the pretext for war, which was provided by the Greeks themselves.

The beginning of the Greco-Persian wars.

The population of the Greek cities of Asia Minor especially suffered from the Persian tax system. A situation arose that, for a minor reason, a spontaneous uprising could break out.

The Milesian tyrant Aristagoras called on the Milesians to rebel against the Persian yoke. A spontaneous uprising in Miletus began in 500 BC and quickly spread to most of the cities of the Asia Minor Greeks.

The first successes of the Ionian uprising were explained by the fact that it was unexpected for the Persians, who did not have enough forces in the western part of Asia Minor. Aristogoras went to the cities of Greece to ask for help. But they were afraid of a clash with Persia. And only Athens agreed to only symbolic assistance. (20 warships). The city of Eretria sent 5 ships. Meanwhile, the uprising swept the entire Asia Minor coast. But the forces were unequal. In 494 BC. the uprising is crushed.

The first campaign of the Persians against Greece.

The minor assistance that Athens and Eretria provided to the Ionians was used by Darius 1 as a pretext for the first campaign against Greece.

In 492 BC. a large land army and navy set out to conquer Greece. Ground Force crossed the Hellespont and moved along the Thracian coast of the Aegean Sea, destroying cities and towns along the way.

The warlike Thracian tribes desperately defended themselves and somewhat weakened the Persian army, which was approaching the Chalkidiki peninsula. Here at the village. Cape Akte, a huge storm broke out at sea, which destroyed most of the Persian fleet. Persia retreated.

After the retreat, Darius 1 sent envoys to Greece demanding recognition of the supreme power of the Persian state. Most Greek city-states complied with this requirement and formally submitted to the Persians. Only 2 policies - democratic Athens and aristocratic Sparta - dared to openly oppose the claims of Darius 1.

The second campaign of the Persians against Greece.

The Persians considered Athens their main enemy.

In 490 BC. The second campaign against Greece took place.

The purpose of the campaign was the war against Eretria and Athens. Eretria was defeated, after which the Persian fleet headed towards Attica.

Upon news of the landing of Persian troops at Marathon, the entire Athenian militia was immediately put on alert. Even slaves who were promised freedom were enlisted in the army. The national assembly decided not to wait for the Persians to attack Athens, but to give battle at Marathon.

Due to the attack threatening all Greeks, the Athenians sent a messenger to Sparta asking for help. But Sparta waited, declaring that her army could not set out on a campaign before the full moon. The Athenians were forced to rely only on themselves.

A Persian army of cavalry and foot archers landed on the Marathon Valley. The army was larger than the Greek army. The question arose among the Greeks whether to start the battle first or organize a defense. The opinion of the strategist won Miltiades start the battle first.

According to tradition, the strategists commanded the militia in turns for one day. When the day of Miltiades' command arrived, he lined up all the militia in battle formation and went on the offensive against the Persians, stretching his phalanx across the entire width of the valley, because The Persian army was outnumbered.

The Athenian phalanx destroyed the Persians, who broke through the center of the phalanx. The Athenians captured 7 Persian ships.

Miltiades guessed the Persians' intention to go around the Attica peninsula and attack Athens while their militia was at Marathon. Therefore, leaving a small team at the battle site to bury the fallen soldiers, Miltiades ordered the militia to urgently return to Athens. Even earlier, immediately after the battle, a messenger was sent to Athens with news of the victory. Having reached Athens, the messenger exclaimed: “Rejoice, we won!” - and died of a broken heart.

Having returned, the victorious militia immediately headed to the coast to defend the Athenian harbors. When Persian ships appeared at Phaleron, the main Athenian port, the Persian command saw the coastal defense organized by the Greeks. The Persian fleet did not dare to attack and withdrew.

Persia and Greece in the period after the second campaign of the Persians.

The Athenian victory over the Persians at Marathon was of great moral and political significance. It gave the Greeks confidence in the possibility of defending their independence in the fight against Persian aggression. The peoples conquered by Persia, hearing about the defeat of the Persians, began to move. The Persian government did not abandon the conquest of Greece. But internal unrest did not give him the opportunity to begin organizing the 3rd campaign against Greece. In 486 BC. Darius 1 died.

The Greeks were unable to take advantage of the peaceful respite offered to them. Civil strife between the policies and discord between oligarchic and democratic groups continued. The danger of a new Persian invasion was realized by everyone. To the successors of Darius 1. Many Greek city states recognized Persia.

In Attica, two groups fought over the issue of strategy in the upcoming defensive war - land and sea. Supporters of the mobilization of all ground forces were landowners - aristocrats, and they were also joined by masses of peasants who feared the ruin of their farms.

The maritime group reflected the interests of the trade and craft demos. It was headed Themistocles. He argued that the Greek land army could be completely overwhelmed by the numerically superior army of the Persians. Naval victory The Athenians also needed it in order to restore the import of grain from the Northern Black Sea region. Themistocles urged landowners to temporarily sacrifice their farms for the sake of final victory and devote all their efforts to building a fleet. The fleet began to be built.

The third campaign of the Persians against Greece.

At the same time, the Persians began preparing military forces that were supposed to attack Greece by land and sea.

In 481 BC. An alliance arose between Athens and Sparta, which was joined by a significant number of other Greek city states.

In 480 BC. The third Persian campaign in Greece began under the leadership of Xerxes. In the summer, the Persian army reached Macedonia, and the fleet passed through the canal, passing Cape Acte, rounding the Chalkidiki peninsula and ending up off the eastern coast of Northern Greece.

The Greeks took up defensive positions at the Thermopylae Pass, which was steep and slippery. The road from Thessaly to Central Greece passed here. The head of the defensive alliance was Sparta, since it headed the Peloponnesian League. But the Spartans, for fear of helot uprisings, were afraid to withdraw their forces from the Peloponnese. Instead of the promised significant ground forces, she allocated a detachment of 300 Spartiates and 1000 Perieki under the command of King Leonidas to defend Thermopylae. Together with other Greek troops that joined them, Leonidas had about 7,200 soldiers at Thermopylae.

Leonidas and his troops heroically repelled the attacks of the Persians for 2 days. But a traitor was found who led the Persians through bypass mountain paths to the rear of the troops of the Spartan king. Then Leonidas ordered all Greek troops to retreat, and he and 300 Spartans died, fulfilling the Spartan law not to retreat from the battlefield.

The heroic death of Leonidas and his squad led to a moral upsurge in Greece. The allied Greek fleet supported Leonidas and fought a long naval battle off the northern part of the island of Euboea. When news arrived of the death of Leonidas's detachment, the Greek fleet retreated south to Attica. The Persians invaded Greece, occupied and destroyed Athens. The population of the city had been evacuated the day before.

The Spartans insisted on giving a decisive naval battle at Salamis. Large forces from both sides took part in it. The Persian fleet was defeated, the Persians left Attica.

The Salamis victory of the Greeks led to a turn in the entire course of the war.

In 479 BC. Persia again invaded Attica and a decisive battle took place near Plataea with the united Spartan, Athenian, Corinthian and other troops. The Persians attacked the Greeks, but were defeated by the Greeks.

The war moved beyond Greece and continued at sea and in the Black Sea straits. For the Greeks, it began to turn from defensive into offensive.

Formation of the 1st Athens Maritime League and the end of the war.

In 478 BC. For the final victory over the Persians, Athens entered into a military alliance with all the policies that took part in the fight against the Persians.

Thus, under the leadership of Athens, the 1st Athenian Naval League arose, which brought the war with Persia to final victory

The allies had to each, in accordance with their capabilities, maintain warships and soldiers and present them to the all-Union command upon request.

The war with the Persians continued until 449 BC.

The Greco-Persian wars ended in victory for the Greeks, who defended the freedom and independence of their homeland from the aggression of the Persian despotism. Despite their differences, at decisive moments they knew how to unite and repel the invaders. But the Greeks were people of their own, slave-owning era. In the second period of the war, making sure that Persia's forces were exhausted, the Greek warriors, to the best of their ability, plundered the Persian coast and enslaved prisoners.

Peloponnesian War.

Thucydides described in detail in his “History” up to 411 BC. The end of the war is known from Xenophon’s “Greek History”.

Causes and reasons for the war:

The Peloponnesian War was generated by the accumulation and aggravation of internal contradictions in the slave society of ancient Greece, which were based on the uneven development of its regions. The desire of backward Sparta to restore its hegemony in Greece by weakening or crushing the 1st Athenian Maritime League coincided with the desire of Athens' economically developed competitors, mainly Corinth and Megara, to weaken their trade and craft opponents. Particularly dangerous for Corinth and the Peloponnesian Union was the intention of Athens to establish itself in southern Italy and Sicily. Since the vast majority of Greek city policies in the 2nd half of the 5th century. BC was part of either the 1st Athenian Naval League or the Peloponnesian League, the war took on a pan-Greek character.

The rapid economic and political development of the 1st Athenian Maritime League was accompanied by an increase in conflicts between Athens both with its allies and with other Greek city states.

Incidents that precipitated the war:

It arose on the western edge of the ancient Greek world in the colony of Epidamna and on the island of Kerkyra. These were 2 important stations on the sea route from Greece to Southern Italy and the island of Sicily. A democratic revolution took place in Epidamnus. The oligarchs who fled the city launched an attack on Epidamnus. The Epidamians asked for help from their metropolis Kerkyra, but did not receive it, because... Kerkyra was ruled by oligarchs. Because Kerkyra, in turn, was a colony of Corinth, then the Epidamites went to ask for help from the Corinthians. The Corinthians helped Epidamnus, but because of this, Kerkyra came out against them. In a naval battle, the Corcyraeans defeated the Corinthians, who began preparations for revenge. Then Kerkyra joined the 1st Athenian Maritime League, which was a violation of the peace concluded in the past between this union and the Peloponnesian League. In peace terms, it was agreed that alliances should not lure away each other's supporters. Athenian help saved the Corcyraeans from defeat. So on sea ​​route In southern Italy and Sicily, a military conflict occurred between Corinth and Athens. In this conflict, democratic Athens helped the Corfu oligarchs against a common enemy - oligarchic Corinth, which in turn helped the Epidamian democrats. Thus, the economic interests of Corinth and Athens prevailed over their political sympathies.

Events unfolded in Potidea, a Corinthian colony on the Chalkidaki peninsula. Chalkidaka was part of the 1st Athenian Maritime League, but at the same time maintained close ties with Corinth, which, after the conflict with Kerkyra, persuaded Potidaea to fall away from Athens. The Athenians besieged Potidaea, which was assisted by Corinth. Megara took the side of Corinth. Both policies persuaded Sparta to begin military operations against Athens. Then the 3rd incident occurred:

The Athenian National Assembly approved the Megarian psephisma - a special decision declaring a boycott of Megarian merchant ships in all harbors of the members of the 1st Athenian Maritime League. The trade and craft policy of Megara, which traded almost exclusively with coastal cities and islands in the Aegean Sea, was put in a hopeless situation.

Archidamus' War.

(431 – 421 BC)

Under pressure from Corinth and Megara, military operations against Athens were launched by the Spartans under the command of King Archidamus 2, who developed a plan for waging war, taking into account the superiority of the Spartans on land. Therefore, the war was called the Peloponnesian, and its first period was called Archidamic.

Considering the economic and political situation in Attica, Archidamus hoped to ruin its agricultural sector and, as a result, turn the rural demos - the Attic peasants - against Pericles and the urban demos supporting him. In addition, Archidamus assumed that the devastation caused by the Spartan troops would force the Athenians to oppose them in open battle, and since Since the Athenian ground forces were significantly inferior to the Spartans, the victory of the Spartans seemed indisputable.

The Spartan plan was opposed to the plan of Pericles. If the Spartans proceeded from the predominance of their military forces on land, then the Athenians proceeded from the superiority of their military - the navy. The rural population had to temporarily move to a protected space. Meanwhile, the Athenian navy was supposed to blockade the Peloponnese and interrupt trade relations between Corinth and Sicily and southern Italy. The economic potential of the Peloponnesian League was lower than that of the Athenians and their allies. The naval blockade was supposed to exhaust the Peloponnesians. The fortified fortress area that protected Athens from the land and connected it to the sea was impregnable. In addition, the Spartans did not know how to take fortresses. The disadvantage of Pericles' plan was the forced evacuation of peasants and the likelihood of enemy troops ruining their land plots.

The Spartan troops, having destroyed peasant farms, were unable to challenge the Athenians to a decisive battle. The Spartans themselves returned to the Peloponnese, because... it was impossible to live in the devastated territories. In 430 BC. the invasion was repeated. This year, a disaster struck Athens - a severe contagious disease that led to death large quantity people. The disease weakened Athens.

Pericles, whom the people, especially the peasants, considered to be the culprit of disasters, in 430 BC. was removed from power.

In 429 BC. he was again elected first strategist, but Pericles himself became infected and died.

After the death of Pericles, the struggle in Athens intensified between supporters of continuing the war and circles seeking peace negotiations. The supporters of the war won. Kleon came to leadership.

At this time, uprisings took place (the island of Kerkyra, Mytilene), internecine wars between the aristocracy and the demos.

425 BC The Athenians intensified their war with Sparta. The Athenian strategist Demosthenes renewed the blockade of the western coast of the Peloponnese, landed and occupied the port of Pylos, located in Messenia. The Spartans failed to drive the Athenians out of Pylos, but they occupied the small island of Sphacteria, which blocked the Athenian ships from leaving the Pylos harbor. Then a squadron led by Cleon was sent to help Demosthenes.

Demosthenes managed to break through to Cleon's squadron. Commanding the combined forces, Demosthenes and Cleon managed to defeat the Spartans on the island of Sphacteria and take the survivors of them prisoner. Now the Spartans sued for peace. But the Athenians offered conditions for a peace treaty that were unacceptable to Sparta, and the war continued.

The Spartans prepared a retaliatory strike against the Athenian centers in the northern Aegean Sea. The Athenians owned the port of Amphipolis in Thrace. Near Amphipolis there was Mount Pangea, famous for its deposits of gold and non-ferrous metals, which was also owned by the Athenians. The Spartans captured a number of cities on the Chalkidiki peninsula and then occupied Amphipolis. This was a heavy blow to the interests and prestige of Athens.

Cleon himself was sent to correct the situation in the areas of Amphipolis. However, he was defeated by the Spartans who unexpectedly attacked him. Cleon died. Amphipolis was finally lost to Athens in 422 BC.

After the death of Cleon and the defeat at Amphipolis, the influence of supporters of peace, led by Nicias, increased. Both sides - the Peloponnesian and the 1st Athenian naval alliances - were tired of a ten-year war waged with varying success. Peace negotiations began in 421 BC. A 50-year peace was concluded between Athens and Sparta, named after its initiator Nikiev.

Results of the war:

The Spartans and Athenians had to mutually clear the territories occupied by their troops and exchange prisoners.

The Athenians promised the Spartans to help them in the event of a slave (helot) uprising.

The peace terms were not fully implemented. The Athenians remained in Messenian Pylos, and the Spartans remained in Thrace (in Amphipolis).

Spartan allies - Corinth, Megara and Thebes did not recognize the Treaty of Nicaea.

Sicilian expedition.

The contradictions that caused the Peloponnesian War remained unresolved. The enemy forces turned out to be approximately equal. The war, limited to the Balkan Peninsula and nearby islands, did not lead to significant results. The Athenian fleet's irregular blockade of the Peloponnese did not weaken the Peloponnesian League. The trade and craft layers of the Athenian demos were not satisfied with the draw outcome of the war. The developing slave economy required expansion of the territories controlled by Athens, so the tendency to resume the war was again revived.

The supporters of expansionist policies are led by Alquid. He proposed a plan to conquer the rich and populous island of Sicily, which supplied the Peloponnese with grain and other goods.

The plan for a military expedition to Sicily, the success of which was supposed to lead to the defeat of Sparta and the hegemony of Athens not only in the Balkans, but also in western Magna Graecia, gained wide popularity in Athens. But at its very core it had elements of adventurism. No one in Athens, or indeed in Greece in general, knew the exact size of Sicily, the number and mood of its population. Due to the transport capabilities of that time, Sicily was very remote from Greece. A large sea expedition to conquer the island was a risky and difficult undertaking. In Athens there were authoritative opponents of the expedition led by Nicias. The population of Attica hoped to improve their affairs using the resources of Sicily.

By 415 BC The Athenians equipped about 260 military and cargo ships and over 32 thousand sailors and oarsmen under the command of Alquid and Nicias. All the main resources of Athens were spent on this expedition and almost all the youth liable for military service were mobilized.

At night, on the eve of the departure of the Athenian fleet to Sicily, unknown persons damaged a large number of stone pillars ending on top with a bust of the god Hermes, the patron of travel and trade. It was an insult to God.

The fleet was to sail for Sicily under the command of Alcibiades, Nicias and Lamachus and sailed at the appointed time.

When the Athenian fleet found itself off the coast of Sicily, a ship arrived from Athens for Alcibiades in order to take him to court on charges of damaging the bust. But Aluiviades fled to Sparta. The Athenian People's Assembly sentenced him to death. Then Alcibiades revealed Athenian military secrets to the Spartans, thereby damaging the Athenian fleet, which was fighting off the coast of Sicily. Continuing to take revenge on the Athenians, Alcibiades advised the Spartans not to repeat the old tactics of short-term invasions of Attica when resuming the war with Athens, but to capture a fortified settlement on its territory, create a permanent base for the Spartan troops in it, and from there continuously ravage the country. Thus, Alcibiades turned into a traitor and traitor to his homeland.

After the flight of Alcibiades, Nicias and Lamachus remained at the head of the Athenian fleet off the coast of Sicily. Most Sicilian Greeks greeted the Athenians coldly. Nicias hoped for an end to the war and hesitated to begin active military operations, which gave Syracuse, against whom the expedition was sent, the opportunity to better prepare for defense. In 414 BC. The Athenians began the siege of Syracuse. Lamakh died. The Athenian fleet is destroyed, the ground forces are forced to capitulate. Nicias and Demosthenes were executed.

Dekelian War (413-404 BC).

Almost simultaneously with the death of the Athenian army and fleet in Sicily, the Spartans invaded Attica and occupied the fortified settlement of Decelea on its north. They set up their base here to conduct military operations against the Athenians and cut off communications with the island of Euboea, from where food was delivered to Attica. The Spartans called on the Athenian slaves to flee to Decelea, promising them freedom. More than 20 thousand slaves fled to the Spartans.

Decelea was located 22 km from Athens. There was a constant threat of a Spartan attack on Athens. Armed residents took turns guarding the city walls. In such a situation, the allies began to fall away from Athens.

The Athenians made every effort to restore the fleet and strengthen ties with the allies. They abolished the foros and instead established a 5% maritime duty. The fleet was partially revived.

In 411 BC. An oligarchic revolution took place in Athens. Reducing the number of full-fledged citizens and transferring power to the oligarchs. The oligarchs promised the population of Attica to negotiate peace with the oligarchs of Sparta. The leaders of the coup in Athens were the oligarchs Antiphon, Pisander, Phrynichus and others. The council of 500 was abolished, the council of 400 was restored, which included the richest citizens. The number of full citizens is limited to 5 thousand people

Negotiations with Sparta were unsuccessful, because The Spartans demanded the liquidation of the Athenian arche. Having lost popularity, the oligarchs held on through terror. From the very beginning, their position was precarious, because... the Athenian fleet did not recognize the oligarchy.

Alcibiades arrived on the fleet, who, knowing the Spartan order, now proposed to destroy the Spartan fleet and promised to overthrow the oligarchs in Athens.

Alcibiades obtained an amnesty from the Athenians and was elected general of Athens. But local leaders of the Athenian demos suspected Alcibiades of striving for tyranny.

In 406 BC. At Cape Notia, the Athenian fleet was defeated by the Spartans. Alkimiades was accused of this. He was not elected to a new term and left Athens forever.

The Athenian warships that survived the defeat at Cape Notia took refuge on the island of Lesbos in the harbor of the city of Mytilene. The Spartan fleet blocked the entrance to the harbor. Having collected their last funds and granted citizenship rights to a number of metics and slaves enrolled as oarsmen, the Athenians quickly built a new fleet, which, under the command of 8 strategists, defeated the Spartan fleet at the Battle of the Arginus Islands.

But the victory was overshadowed by the struggle between democratic and oligarchic factions in the Athenian people's assembly. After the victory at the Argus Islands, a sea storm broke out. Several Athenian ships were lost. But the main thing is that the team was unable to perform religious rituals. This was blasphemous from the point of view of the people of that time. Eight strategists were accused of this, after which the latter were sentenced to death.

The Spartans, with the help of the Persians, built a new fleet. The Athenian fleet in the Hellespont was attacked by a Spartan fleet in 405 BC. and destroyed in the battle near the Kozya River. Defeat in the battle deprived the Athenians of the supply of food. Soon Athens was surrounded by land by the Spartan army. Famine began in Athens. The Athenians capitulated in April 404 BC. The Spartans entered the city.

Results:

Athens was included in the Peloponnesian League.

Democracy has been replaced by oligarchy.

Spartan garrisons were introduced into the city-states of the former allies of Athens, “liberated” by Sparta, and oligarchic coups were carried out.

Tyranny 30 and the Rise of Democracy.

A commission of 30 oligarchs was elected in Athens. It was supposed to develop the foundations of a new government system. But instead it became the government of Athens. They established a terrorist regime, cracking down on their political opponents. They robbed the population. The population fled from Athens. One of the democratic strategists, Thrasybulus, took refuge in Boeotia. He organized a detachment of Athenian fugitives and captured the border point of Philou. Thrasybulus approached Piraeus. Along the way, his troop increased. Violence opposed the oligarchs. In several battles, the oligarchs and Spartans were defeated.

In 403 BC. democracy in Athens was restored. An amnesty was declared. The Commission of 30 received the nickname "30 tyrants" and were punished for their crimes.

The restored democracy had to comply with the terms of the earlier peace. Athens continued to be a member of the Peloponnesian League.

The Peloponnesian War, which lasted 27 years, ended with the victory of backward Sparta.

Reasons for loss:

The Athenian democratic government made a number of mistakes, among which the Sicilian expedition was especially serious. But Sparta, even after the disaster of the Athenians in Sicily, was able to defeat Athens only with the financial help of Persia.

Thus, the international situation also contributed to the defeat of Athens.

But the roots of Athens' failures also lay in the limitations of Athenian democracy.

The Peloponnesian War greatly weakened Greece and undermined its economic potential.

The Persian campaign against Greece. In the VI century. BC e. The Persians captured the Greek cities of Asia Minor. At first they supported trade without imposing heavy taxes on the Greeks. Under King Darius I the situation changed. The Persians decided to conquer the Greek states of the Balkan Peninsula.
In 491 BC. e. the Persians sent their ambassadors to the city-states of the Greeks demanding “land and water,” which means complete submission. The island of Aegina, the cities of Thessaly and Boeotia submitted. Powerful Argos declared non-intervention in the war. Athens threw the ambassadors off a cliff, and the Spartans into a well, advising them to find “earth and water” there. After this, Sparta sent its volunteers to Persia, "if it wants to avenge its envoys."
Persia was a single power, and Greece was fragmented into many small independent states.
Marathon and other battles. In 490 BC. e. A powerful Persian army captured the island of Euboea. The inhabitants of Eretria on Euboea became slaves. Then the Persians landed near the town of Marathon, 42 km from Athens. The Persians were brought here by the son of Peisistratus, Gyppius, who fled to Persia. The Athenian strategist Miltiades, whose father was killed by Hippias, developed a plan for the military actions of the Greeks. Their allies, the Plataeans, came to the aid of the Athenians. And the Spartans were late with help.
There were much fewer Greeks than Persians. The Greeks made the center of their battle line weaker. The Persians broke through it. This is how the Greeks lured their enemies to their location. The right wing of the Athenians and the left wing of the Plataeans defeated the Persians and united behind the Persian rear. This secured the victory. The Greeks killed 6,400 Persians and themselves lost 192 people.
Marathon running. There is a legend that a warrior ran to Athens to report the victory at Marathon. More likely something else. The entire army fled to Athens to protect their hometown from enemies, for the Persians were sailing on ships to Athens. The Athenians were ahead of them. Hippias' supporters in Athens were afraid to openly go over to the Persian side, as Hippias did. In honor of the victory at the Olympic Games, a marathon running distance of 42 km 195 m was established.

The Persians and Greeks began to prepare for a new war.
In Athens, citizens were divided into two camps. Themistocles, who belonged to the category of horsemen, as the historian Thucidas wrote, could best predict the events of the most distant future. He proposed building a fleet on which the Athenian fetes served as rowers. Aristides, the leader of the landowners, argued that the landowners must be taken care of, because they had won at Marathon. Aristide was ostracized. The rich were obliged to build ships at their own expense. In 487 BC. e. Archons began to be elected not only from the five hundred men, but also from the horsemen. To achieve this, 107 years have passed since Solon. This is how democracy gradually strengthened.
And when the threat of a new invasion became obvious, 31 Greek states united, led by Sparta, into an anti-Persian union. Allied meetings took place in another state - in Corinth. Created general army and the fleet, the money was kept in the union treasury.
In 480 BC. e. The Greeks fortified themselves in the Thermopylae Gorge. Came up big army Persian king Xerxes. The Greek traitor led Xerxes' detachment behind enemy lines. Three small detachments from three states died, but ensured the retreat of the Greek army from Thermopylae.

Defense of Thermopylae. 7,000 Greeks closed the Thermopylae Pass. Among them was the Spartan king Leonidas and with him 300 hoplites. The Persian fleet was not given the opportunity to break through the Euboean Strait. However, the Persians found a traitor who led a detachment along a mountain path to the rear of the defenders of Thermopylae. The scouts reported to Leonid about the encirclement. The Spartan king remained with his soldiers, the Thebans and Thespians (these are residents of the cities of Boeotia) to defend Thermopylae, and ordered the rest of the soldiers to retreat. Everyone died, including King Leonidas, but those who retreated were able to continue the fight. The grateful Greeks erected a monument at Thermopylae. Simonides wrote the inscription:
Wanderer, tell Lacedaemon
about our demise. Faithful to the covenants of the country, here
we died in bones.
The Persians walked overland and occupied Athens, abandoned by its inhabitants. The Athenian fleet was in the Strait of Salamis. The all-Greek fleet, under the leadership of the Athenian strategist Themistokes, defeated the Persian fleet. The Greek allies also defeated the Persians at Plataea. The Plataean state bordered on Athens. After these defeats, Persia did not send an army to the Balkans. The Pan-Hellenic Union was headed by Athens.

Situation in Sparta and Athens.
Meanwhile, in Sparta, the helots in 465 BC. e. rose to war against their oppressors - the Spartans. As the Athenian comedic poet Aristophanes writes, the Spartan ambassadors, pale as death with fear, asked the Athenians for help. Cimon, despite the protests of the democrats, led 4,000 Athenian hoplites to Sparta against the helots. But the Spartans accused the Athenians of having relations with the helots and demanded that the Athenian detachment be removed. For ten years the Spartans could not take the mountain fortified by the helots. The rebels obtained from Sparta the right to take their families with them. Athens provided these helots with a place to live.

The meaning of the Greek victory. In 449 BC. e. the forces of Persia and Athens dried up, and they made peace. Persia gave up its possessions in Asia Minor. The Persian fleet lost the right to enter the Aegean Sea. Small Greek states defeated the world Persian power because they fought for their lives, fatherland and freedom. Everything that happened in the Greek states after the Greco-Persian Wars was under their influence. The victory over the Persians changed the life of the Greeks.