 |
|
Salamis (Greek: Σαλαμίς) is the closest island to the port city of
Piraeus. Salamis is mentioned in Homer’s
writings and according to the legend it was named after the nymph Salamis the
mother of Cychreus, the first king of the island. It is said to be the birthplace of Ajax and Euripides. Recent prominent
sons are G. Karaiskakis, a hero of the revolutionary war of 1821 and the poet
and playwright A. Sikelianos.
|
 |
|
Salamis is known for the battle
that bears its name, the decisive naval victory of the allied Greek fleet, in
480 BC. To halt the Persian advance
during the second Greco-Persian war, the Greek City States decided to block the
pass of Thermopylae, while an Athenian-dominated navy engaged the Persian fleet
in the nearby straits of Artemisium. Famously,
the vastly outnumbered Greek army held the pass of Thermopylae for three days
before being outflanked via a mountain path. Much of the Greek army retreated,
before the 300 Spartans and few Thespians who had continued fighting at the
pass were surrounded and killed. The simultaneous sea battle at Artemisium was
up to that point a stalemate; however,
when news of Thermopylae reached them, the Greek fleet retreated to Salamis,
since holding at Artemisium was pointless.
The Persian navy sailed south and blocked both entrances of the Straits
of Salamis.
|
 |
|
Although heavily outnumbered, the
Greek Allies were persuaded by the Athenian general Themistocles to engage the Persian fleet to battle. Because the
Persian ships were large in size and too numerous they struggled to maneuver in
the straits and became disorganized. Seizing the opportunity, the Greek fleet that
was formed by small triremes scored a decisive victory.
|
 |
|
When King Xerxes I who was watching the
battle from mount Egaleo (Greek: Αιγαλεω) realized his fleet was decimated
he retreated with much of his army, leaving his general Mardonius to complete
the conquest of Greece. However, the
following year, the remainder of the Persian army was defeated at the Battle of
Plataea and the Persian navy at the Mycale.
The battles of Salamis and Plataea marked a turning point in the course
of the Greco-Persian wars. A number of historians believe that a Persian
victory would have hindered the development of Ancient Greece, and by extension
western civilization, thus making the Battle of Salamis one of the most
significant battles in human history.
|
 |
|
Themistocles
(Greek: Θεμιστοκλῆς) c. 524–459 BC) was an Athenian politician
and general who convinced the Athenians to increase its naval power. During the first Persian invasion of Greece, he
fought at Marathon, and was possibly one of the 10 Athenian generals in that
battle. During the second invasion, he
was in command of the Greek allied navy at the sea battles of Artemisium and
Salamis. According to his plan, the Allies lured the Persian fleet into the narrow
Straits of Salamis, where their movements were difficult as their ships were
large in size and number. The decisive
Greek victory at Salamis was the turning point in the invasion and made it
pre-eminent among the classic naval battles.
|
