The War Of 480 479 Bc History Essay

The War Of 480 479 Bc History EssayThe encroachment of 480-479 BC was a revenge attack on the Greeks the former was that the Iranians having attempted severally to occupy Greece and failed in their attempts. Emperor Darius is known to have set emerge his regular ground force plays to capital of Greece to punish them for their revolt. Darius was a proud king, his pride in his blown-up empire and the occurrence that he had a big army, made the Persians cocksure in their armys resources and their strength. This gave the Persian army the confidence that they would bring everyplace Athens.It is crucial to understand the reasons for the Persians insistent violation of the Greeks and the vigilant campaign to take over Athens. When Athens encouraged these cities to rebel against Persian rule, emperor Darius set out a campaign non only to increase his empire exactly in any case to punish the rebelling cities. His first attack and strugglefare was fought at endurance con test, this is the invasion of 490 BC, and this was the deciding war that whizz to the invasion of 480-479 BC. It is the disposed leader Hippias who coupled Dariuss army in this invasion. It is clear that they set out to invade with retaliation in their hearts, their sheer numbers and massive forces gave them a clear success over Athens. They attacked Eriteria and win and on they moved to Athens. The humiliation of the Persians and Darius in the invasion of 490BC was the deciding accompanimentor in the invasion of 480-479 BC.Importantly what really fuelled Darius fussiness and drive to invade Greece in the invasion of 480-479BC was the defeat they encountered at dispute of Marathon in 490BC. The Persians had a massive army and materials during this invasion, and their success was assured. Darius felt low-down because despite their assured victory, they still lost to the Greeks. Of interest is the occurrence that Greeks had conformation the help of the Spartans, unfortunatel y they could not engage in war as they were celebrating a religious feast. The Athenians went to war with the Persians manned two to one. They were simple infantry men who were against a swell equipped Persian army.Looking at the history of the invasion of Greece by Persian, it is easy to understand why the Persians were discomfited at every invasion. Their confidence in their numbers and might blind them to the point that with out strategy they would easily loose a war to a smaller and less equipped army. The loss at marathon was a humiliation to the Persians. It was the poor decision to break up, with the larger army attacking from the sea, and a smaller force at marathon that lead to their defeat. While they set out to attack from the sea, the Greeks seized the opport unit of measurementy and attacked the remaining forces. They fought and won this group, then they drove them away towards the sea, as the second Persian unit arrived by sea, they found the retreating forces with the Greeks this age ready and waiting at the banks of the sea. on the face of it strategy in war was a key incidentor in the victory over the Persians. It is important to remember that the period covered by these wars was the age in which these two great empires were expanding. The Persian Empire and the Greek empire were constantly in competition for cities to concur.After the loss of 490 BC it took another 10 years before the Persians could attack in 480-479 BC, with the cobblers last of Darius it took time for his son to gather forces and attack Athens. It is this time the Greeks got ready for battle, they had time to wangle, as they were well aware of the fact that the two empires were constantly colliding over territory. During this period the Greeks put up a naval defense force at Aegean.The Persian invasion of 480 BC under Xerxes began, with a grand army of hundreds of thousands. Xerxes was carrying out his fathers plan of taking over Greece. The conquest of Greece was s een as very important in the establishment of the empire. A boost to their morale, as it was before was their massive army. Xerxes was defeated because in as much as he had a great army, he was not prepared in the strategies of war. Xerxes was blinded by the desire to fulfill his fathers dying wishes that he forgot to prepare his army fro the battle a heading.Xerxes ambition in concurring Athens and do the Greek empire part of the Persian Empire blinded him to the fact that the Greeks may have been preparing themselves for another attack. Xerxes failed to prepare his army for this invasion since, it was a well known fact that the Persian army was used to battle on the plains of Asia. They were not physically prepared to battle in the Greek environment. This is a decisive factor in battle as the soma of the soldiers is paramount in the winning of a battle.Another major reason that Xerxes lost to the Greeks was that his army, in as much as it was massive in sheer numbers they lacked equipment as compared to the Greeks. The 10 year break during which the Persians did not attack, all the time the Greeks needed to train, arm and equip themselves fro war. The failure of Xerxes to dupe that fact was an error on his part. It was common knowledge that the two empires were in constant conflict over their boundaries, with each trying to defend its concurred cities. hence Xerxes should have been amply prepared to have a complete take over of Athens. He should have strategised more in considering the fact that Athens was not a small city, it was the seat of the Greek empire, an empire that had a large territory and had concurred the east.The Persian army apart from having adapted to the Asiatic plains, they were defeated because they were not able to properly sentinel. A reason fro this is the fact that on their way into Greece they decided to make a stand at Thermopylae, this was a mountain so long. This was a poor decision because they were used to waging war on v ast battle fields not narrow driveway ways. They war strategy and training was on the open ground. The other fact was that they had deployed a huge army this army was using the mountain pass into Greece. This was a huge error because it restricted their movement in the ground. The Persian army had invested heavily in numbers and not equipment. The moment they got into this pass, and the fact that they were ill equipped gave the Greeks an reward.The ten year period between the invasion of 490 BC and 480 BC, apart from giving the Greeks time to prepare, it also assisted them in building a good relation with the Spartans. This is evident due to the fact that the moment the Persians attacked the Spartans were there alongside the Greeks fighting them. The naval force that the Greeks had built at Aegean helped defend Athens from the sea. The Spartans just like the Greeks were old(prenominal) with the Greek territory and landscape. It is for this reason that they were able to beat a la rge Persian army at the mountain pass at Thermopylae.Xerxes on the other hand should not have waited for too long to profits war on Athens. He should have immediately followed up on his father plans of attack soon by and by the first defeat. It is the pride of the Persian that made him loose the invasions. They gave the Athenians time to adequately prepare themselves and fortify their cities. I believe if they had followed up a repeat attack immediately after the loss at marathon they would have defeated Athens.The Persians pride in his army also resulted in his defeat, this pride blinded him to the fact that though they seemed superior in size to the Greeks. The Greeks on the other hand was also a tremendous force. The Greeks were also a people that had waged war on communities both large and small and had conquered for themselves large areas. They were an innovative people that leant from their experiences and travels. It goes without state that the Greeks learnt the first few times, each time the Persians invaded and lost the Greeks were left preparing themselves for the attached attack. They prepared they ground troops and fortified their beaches they even built a naval base to defend their beaches.The Persians overlooked the fact that the Greeks were a formidable force that was not to be reckoned with. What the Greeks lacked in numbers they made do in preparation and equipment. For the many reasons that are given for the defeat of the Persians in the invasion of 480 BC, the most convincing fact is the armys preparation in war. The Persian may have had a huge army, but the Greeks had a well armored army, after the attack at marathon they went a head and prepared themselves even creating a naval force, they even sort the accomplice of the Spartans. The Persians did not have a clear war strategy, it seemed they were driven by the blind rage that emperor Darius had created and natured. They did not seem to have a clear strategy apart from attack and con quer and acquire Greece for their empire. The Greeks took advantage of this to their success they knew when to break franks and when to attack. The Persians would have won the battle of 480 BC had they not used the mountain pass in their sheer numbers engine block them in, concentrating them in a small area, that left them venerable. If they had used a scout they would have marked out the territory to their advantage.