Battle of Salamis

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The Battle of Salamis was a decisive naval engagement in 480 BCE during the Greco-Persian Wars, where the outnumbered Greek fleet defeated the Persian navy and halted Persia’s advance into mainland Greece.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf battle of the Greco-Persian Wars
naval battle
associatedWith Themistocles’ strategy of luring Persians into the straits
burning and occupation of Athens by Persians prior to the battle
evacuation of Athens to Salamis
belligerent Achaemenid Empire
Greek city-states
combatant Greek alliance
Persian Empire
conflict Greco-Persian Wars
consequence forced Xerxes I to withdraw much of his army to Asia
halted Persian advance into mainland Greece
secured survival of independent Greek city-states
culturalImpact subject of Aeschylus’ tragedy "The Persians"
symbol of Greek resistance against Persia
date 480 BCE
era Classical Greece
followedBy Battle of Plataea
GreekCommander Eurybiades
Themistocles
GreekFleetStrength about 370 triremes
location Saronic Gulf
Straits of Salamis
near Athens
near Salamis Island
notableParticipant Athenian navy
Corinthian navy
Phoenician ships in Persian service
Spartan navy
outcome Persian naval defeat
partOf Second Persian invasion of Greece
PersianCommander Ariabignes
Artemisia I of Caria
Xerxes I
PersianFleetStrength several hundred to over 1,000 ships (ancient estimates vary)
precededBy Battle of Artemisium
Battle of Thermopylae
primaryAncientSource Herodotus
region Ancient Greece
result decisive Greek victory
strategicImportance protected Athens and the Peloponnese from seaborne invasion
turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars
tacticalFeature Greeks exploited superior maneuverability of triremes
Persian numerical advantage neutralized by confined waters
fought in narrow straits
timePeriod 5th century BCE
year 480 BCE


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