Climax of the Battle of Plataea (479 BC)⚔️Spartans vs Immortals DOCUMENTARY

In 479 BC, the greatest Greek army ever yet assembled faced off against the Persian host which had been tasked with snuffing them out. For 11 days, the 200,000 troops had jockeyed for advantage across the plains of Plataea. But with supplies running low, both sides would now commit to an all-out brawl for the fate of Greece. And yet, as the sun rose on that fated day, it revealed to the Persians an allied army strung out haphazardly across the lands, in the midst of a botched redeployment, with commanders still yelling at one another in heated argument. Was this really the best these supposed masters of warfare could muster? Without waiting for an answer, the Persian host pounced on its prey. What followed would be one of the most chaotic and multi-phased battles of the era. Across the scenes of that day would be countless dramatic moments, from the beleaguered Spartans waiting under fire for the gods to bless their ranks, to the disgraced lone survivor of the 300 charging with suicidal bravery into the teeth of the foe, to the Athenian who waded into combat with an anchor tied to his waist, refusing to be pushed back, to the mass storming of a fortified camp with walls spanning over 8 kilometers. This is the climax of the Battle of Plataea. So now it's time to thank this video's sponsor, but please don't click away, I swear it'll be worth your time, this has to be one of my favorite sponsors to date. So it's gonna be coming from Cambrian Comics, and they're a small but dedicated team that's working on this series, it's called Romanus Magicki, and essentially what it does is it sends you in first century Rome, in the slums of the eternal city, as dark powers are threatening to overthrow the world. So as a premise, I think this is absolutely fantastic. Take the gritty, realistic, on the ground perspective of HBO's Rome, and mix it with all the fantasy elements of Magick that are inherent to this period. Blend them two, and you tick so many boxes that I didn't know needed to be ticked. It's absolutely fantastic. There's a ton of attention to detail in here when it comes to bringing to life the history, but then also tapping into the rich cultural tapestry of just what's going on with this world and the different ethnicities and people and their beliefs. Absolutely great. So I'll show you what I'm talking about here. So for instance, here on the one hand, you may have a couple pages dealing with the affairs up in the forests of Germania, grounded, gritty, in the legions, not pulling any punches. Then later on, we find ourselves on the fringes of the empire dealing with all sorts of cults and these great dark powers that are being tapped into. It's absolutely fantastic. Now, this is not an itch I knew needed to be ditched, but God, it feels good. So this is an amazing project. So what is even going on here? Well, as I said, it's a small but dedicated team, and essentially they're turning to crowdfunding to produce this series and get it out there. Now it's creators, Matthew Blair and Paul Pertsmith, both have had past success in the comic book world and clearly know what they're doing, but unfortunately it can be tough sometimes to reach audiences for a project like this. So I'm super thankful that they came to me and shared with me the editions of their comics. I can't recommend it enough, and I really think that it's worth amplifying to all of you guys to check it out. So please consider supporting them on Kickstarter and getting some issues for yourself. The story itself is great. The art is amazing to look at, and the covers themselves here make for awesome background decorations if you want to put them around your house. So I really, really hope that this succeeds, and I really hope that we as a community can make this project a reality because there's a lot of untapped potential here. You know, bring me to Carthage, bring me to Iberia, bring me to Nubia, show me Thrace. There's so many awesome things of mixing and matching, you know, the fine history and granularity there with the fantastical element of the past. And you know, if the Romans had comics to read, this would be the series that they're reading, and I can't wait to see more of it. So definitely check it out in the link in the description. For 11 days, the Greek and Persian armies had faced off across the foothills of Plataea. Skirmishes had taken place, but to no decisive advantage. Yet with over 200,000 men in the field and countless more noncombatants and animals to support, supplies were now running low on both sides. Thus it was that the Persian general Mardonius had decided to break the impasse with a massed attack at dawn. But in this most critical moment, his plans were betrayed by the king of Macedon, who slipped out of the camp to forewarn the Greeks. Upon being alerted, an emergency war council was called. In it, the allies decided to meet the threat head-on, deploying the Athenians on the right wing opposite the Medes and the Spartans on the left wing opposite the Boeotians and Thessalians. For it was thought that the former had already proven themselves worthy of a victorious charge against the foreigners at Marathon while the latter had proven themselves experienced against other Greeks. As dawn came, both armies deployed for battle. The Persians marched out in accordance to Mardonius' plans, arranging themselves in a manner he felt best countered the Greek deployment of the preceding day. However, scouts now reported a new development. The Spartan and Athenian contingents had exchanged positions. In response, Mardonius halted his men before committing to the river crossing and similarly swapped his wings. Such affairs took precious hours of the day, but maintaining the desired engagement was worth the wait. Yet, just as the dust had seemingly settled, new reports came in. The Greeks were reverting back to their prior formation. Mardonius immediately countermanded his own orders, followed the original deployment. Thus, yet more hours of daylight were burned in this strategic game of chicken. Such was the frustration of the Persians that they reportedly sent emissaries to harangue the Greeks, teasing the Spartans in particular for leaving the fighting of the Persians to the Athenians. But Mardonius was not one to merely hurl insults. Bold action was needed. Therefore, he now launched the full force of his cavalry across the river Ossopis. These assailed the whole Greek army, unleashing volley after volley of javelins and arrows. Without cavalry of their own or sufficient archers, the hoplites were left to suffer through this deluge. To make matters worse, the Persians were reportedly able to gain access to the critical Gargafia spring. Presumably, using cadavers, waste, and poisons, the assailants now spoiled the Greeks' main source of water. Such developments caused a panic among the Allied generals. Herodotus reports, quote, for there were other problems which troubled them. They had no food left, and their followers whom they had sent into the Peloponnese to bring provisions had been cut off by the horsemen and could not make their way to the army. In that evening's war council, the Greeks agreed that their current position was untenable and that a tactical retreat should be made towards the tributary streams closer to Plataea, in an area known as the island. However, out of fear that they would be mercilessly harried by the enemy cavalry, the Allies made a show of holding their ground for the rest of the day. But at the second watch of the night, orders were circulated to secretly break camp and pull back. Unfortunately, in practice, this tactical retreat was executed quite poorly. In the dark, many Allied units arrived not at the agreed upon location, but rather gravitated towards the town of Plataea, and in particular, the temple of Hera along its outskirts. The Spartans, meanwhile, who were the last to depart and follow as a rear guard, fell into their own disorder. One of their battalion commanders was apparently unaware of the revised plans and refused to shamefully flee from the barbarians. Riders now raced back and forth across the night, attempting to ascertain the cause for the delay. Were the Spartans going to move? Would the obstinate battalion be left behind? Should the Allies double back to support them? As the hours crept towards dawn, commanders were at each other's throats, hurling back and forth accusations of madness and of shame. By the time the sun rose on Plataea on the morning of the 13th day, the light revealed an Allied force scattered across the plains, still in the grips of indecision. Near Plataea, the awaking Greek forces were mustered into battle formation. However, they were missing their entire right wing. The Spartans yet remained in the same position as the night before. By now, Pausanias had finally decided to leave behind his one battalion and rejoin the bulk of the Allies. Their departure finally broke the will of the holdouts, who hurried to follow. All of this was observed by the incredulous Persian scouts. The enemy, it seemed, was in total disjointed retreat. Even the Spartans, supposedly the bravest among them, had tucked tail and run. Mordonius was eager to seize on this opportunity to now break their backs. Thus, he began deploying the foot troops for a crossing of the river. Meanwhile, not a moment was to be lost. The cavalry immediately set off to sow further chaos in the ranks of the foe. These fell en masse upon the Spartans. Pausanias steeled his forces, turning about to face the coming storm. He then sent a message to the Athenians for aid. Alas, such assistance would be blocked by the 50,000 Persian-aligned Greeks who now marched against them. The Spartans and Tegeans on the right were on their own. Herodotus relays the unfolding drama among the units of the eastern flank. These offered sacrifice so that they would fare better in battle with Mardonius and the army which was with him. But they could get no favorable omen from their sacrifices. And in the meanwhile, many of them were killed, and by far more were wounded by the Persians, who set up their shields in offense and shot showers of arrows. Plutarch relates further that, when Pausanias got no omens from his sacrifices, he ordered his Lacedaemonians to sit quiet with their shields planted in front of them and to await his orders, making no attempts to repulse the enemies, while he himself went to sacrificing again. By this time, the horsemen were charging upon them. Presently, their missiles actually reached them, and many a Spartan was smitten. The Tegeans, it seems, did not wait for the answer of the gods to come, immediately charging the enemy ranks. Following in their wake soon came the Spartans, whose omens had finally turned favorable. Thus did the men of bronze charge through the hail of arrows to meet the foe. We are told that they crashed headlong into the Persian shield wall. Apparently, in their hurried pursuit, the enemy lines had grown disorganized, robbing them of the proper deployment which may have been able to better deflect or absorb such an assault. Alas for Mardonius, his front lines crumbled, the foe now penetrating into his ranks. Herodotus reports the following, quote, First they fought by the fence of shields. And when that was down, there was a fierce and long fight around the temple of Demeter itself, until they came to blows at close quarters. For the barbarians laid hold of the spears and broke them short. Now the Persians were neither less valorous nor weaker, but they had no armor. Moreover, since they were unskilled and no match for their adversaries in craft, they would rush out singly and in tens or in groups great or small, hurling themselves on the spurns and so perishing. But in the eye of this storm stood the Persian commander. Herodotus continues, quote, Where Mardonius was himself, riding a white horse in the battle, and surrounded by a thousand picked men who were the flower of the Persians, there they pressed their adversaries hardest. So long as Mardonius was alive, the Persians stood their ground and defended themselves, overthrowing many Lacedaemonians. It is perhaps in this most consequential of the fighting that Aristodemus the coward, the disgraced sole survivor of the 300 at Thermopylae, now regained his honor by fighting with great fury and bravery. For a moment, the fate of the eastern flank hung in the balance. Yet under the watchful eye of Demeter's temple, the gods now deemed it time for Leonidas to finally be avenged. A Spartan supposedly by the name of Aramnestus slew Mardonius with a stone that crushed his head. As the general crashed to the ground, so too did the morale of the Persians. Meanwhile, on the western flank, Greeks fought against Greeks as the ranks of the Boeotians clashed with those of Athens. Though some on the Persian side are insinuated to have fought feebly on purpose, this was not the case for the Thebans. They pressed the assault with full furor. In this brutal contest, the best of the Theban line fought to the last. Likewise, Herodotus makes mention of brave men of the Athenian lines. The greatest of them was Sophonis, of whom the following story is told. He bore an iron anchor attached to the belt of his cuirass with a chain of bronze. He would cast this anchor whenever he approached his enemies in an attack, so that the enemy, as they left their ranks, might not be able to move him from his place. When they were put to flight, it was his plan that he would pull up his anchor and so pursue them. While the veracity of this claim must be doubted, it clearly speaks to the great zeal of the Athenians. Against such pressure, the Thebans were apparently no match. The western Persian flank now buckled as well. And yet the remaining center of the great king's army still stood unchallenged. Boasting as many as 40,000 men, it risked serving as a rallying point for the fleeing wings. Unfortunately for the Persians, the greatly dispersed and rushed nature of the battle which had unfolded prevented this from happening. Broken sight lines and rugged ground now saw each section of the army attend only to its own well-being. Thus, each wing fled in opposite directions. The center, meanwhile, upon hearing concerning reports of matters on the flanks, failed to provide support. Even worse, their commander, Artabasus, chose not to mount a rear guard defense at the fortified camp or even attempt a hold of the walled city of Thebes. Instead, he reportedly aimed to make haste for Phocis and to abandon Greece entirely. In the face of this growing rout, the Greek alliance set off to pursue and slay Xerxes' men. But the battlefield remained a confused, chaotic mess. Pockets of enemy resistance yet remained to push back against this turning of the tide. For instance, we are told that Theban cavalry rampaged across the allied ranks which were disorderly in their advance. 600 men were trampled with their units driven all the way back to the hills of the Cithaeron. But little could hold back the rolling mass of tens of thousands of Greeks which surged down the slopes. These now swarmed towards the Persian camp where the remnant of the foe was rallying. Seeing this, the defenders rushed upon the towers and the walls, hauling any materials they could get their hands on to further barricade the position. A great, desperate struggle ensued along the entire perimeter of the fort. Herodotus reports, quote, The fight for the wall became intense and lasted for a long time. In the end, the Athenians, by valor and constant effort, scaled the wall and breached it. The Greeks poured in through the opening they had made. The first to enter were the Degeans, and it was they who plundered the tent of Mardonius. As for the barbarians, they did not form a unified body again once the wall was down, nor did anyone think of defense because the terrified men in the tiny space and the many myriads herded together were in great distress. Such a slaughter were the Greeks able to make that of the hundreds of thousands who had once borne arms, scarcely a few thousand were now left alive. As dusk settled on this thirteenth and final day of the largest land battle yet in Greek history, the magnitude of what had been achieved reverberated through the ranks of the allies. For this moment, tens of thousands had given their lives, but with their sacrifice came a great victory that would forever banish the Persian invaders from the land of the Greeks. At the fever pitch of these celebrations, the body of the general Mardonius was brought before Supreme Commander Pausanias. Followers urged him to consecrate this final avenging of Leonidas with an eye for an eye. Impale the head of Mardonius, here, now, just as Xerxes had done to the Spartan king at Thermopylae. And yet, according to Herodotus, Pausanias chose another path. Quote, You advise me to insult the dead and say that I will win more praise if I do? That would be an act more proper for barbarians than for Greeks. No, I would prefer to find no favor with the people who would be pleased by such acts. It is enough for me if I please the Spartans by righteous deeds and speech. As for Leonidas, whom you would have me avenge? I think that he has received a full measure of vengeance. The uncounted souls of these that you see have done him honor, and the rest of those who died at Thermopylae. But to you, this is my warning. Do not come again to me with words like these, nor give me such counsel. Be thankful, now, that you go unpunished. Thereafter, Pausanias ordered that the spoils of war be gathered from across the battlefield. Arms, armor, jewelry, coins, chests, golden plates, silver bowls, jeweled cups, gilded furniture, and more was amassed in a hall of unprecedented scale. Of these, a tithe was set aside for the dedication to the gods at Delphi. What remained was distributed to the victors as rewards, each according to their merit. In the days that followed, the allied dead were then buried with proper rites, and while the army of the Greeks would soon move on, they bound the citizens of Plataea into a solemn covenant. Forevermore, they were to tend to the graves of these fallen heroes and honor them with annual religious observances. According to later Roman authors, such practices were still being undertaken many centuries later. For now, the second Persian invasion had been defeated. Leonidas had been avenged. And yet, hanging over Greece were fears that this was not the end of the fight. The enemy yet lay in control of surrounding Macedonia, Thrace, and Ionia, with a fleet perched upon the isles of the Aegean. Given time to lick their wounds, yet more armies could soon be raised from the heartland of Persia. Thus, to ensure the safety of the realm forevermore, the allies now began to plan a grand counterattack that would see them wage a 30-year war, with Greek troops landing as far away as the shores of Cyprus and Egypt. But that story shall have to wait for another time. For now, you can catch script previews and download HD versions of our art on Patreon and YouTube memberships. A big thanks to the current supporters, and to the researchers, writers, and artists for making this episode possible. We couldn't have done it without this team, and this community. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like and subscribe for more content, and check out these other related videos. See you in the next one!