The Greco-Persian Wars - PART VII: The Battle of Plataea and the End of the War

In the epic conclusion to the Greco-Persian Wars series, the fate of mainland Greece is finally decided. Following the naval clash at Salamis, the Persian general Mardonius and the Hellene alliance led by the Spartan regent Pausanias face off in the ultimate land showdown at the Battle of Plataea. After weeks of tactical stalemates, fierce cavalry skirmishes along the Asopus River, and a chaotic night maneuver that fractured the Hellene lines, the two massive armies finally clash. The brutal close-quarters hoplite engagements ultimately lead to the fall of Mardonius and a catastrophic, decisive defeat for the Achaemenid land forces.

Meanwhile, across the Aegean, the Hellene fleet strikes a simultaneous blow at the Battle of Mycale, igniting a second Ionian revolt and destroying the remnants of the Persian naval threat on the beaches of Asia Minor. The campaign then pushes north to the grueling Siege of Sestos, culminating in the symbolic dismantling of the cables from Xerxes's grand bridge across the Hellespont, exactly where Herodotus chose to end his Histories. Ultimately, the aftermath of the conflict shifts the balance of power, leading to the rise of the Delian League and the debated Peace of Callias—a treaty that brought an end to a half-century of war while inadvertently setting the stage for the dawn of the Athenian Empire.

Contents:

0:00 Marching to the Final Showdown
7:54 First Blood: The Fall of Masistius
15:28 Drawing the Battle Lines at Plataea
27:11 Choking the Alliance: The Supply Pass Massacre
41:32 Fouling the Spring: A Fight for Survival
46:29 Mutiny and a Fractured Night Retreat
53:07 Mardonius Takes the Bait: The Clash Begins
1:03:45 The Decisive Blow: The Death of Mardonius
1:11:59 A Splendid Victory and the Spoils of Gold
1:21:22 Igniting the Rebellion: The Battle of Mycale
1:33:41 Dismantling Xerxes's Dream and the War's End
1:41:11 Thank You and Patrons

Special thanks to Farya Faraji for the following musical compositions featured throughout the program:

"Rise of Arsaces"
"March of Achaemenes"
"Apranik's Charge"
"Riders of Ariana"
"Spantodhata's Warning"
"Mater"
"To Phrygia"
"Olympos"
"In Sappho's Mind"
"Achaemenes"
"Ahriman's Wrath"
"In Pythagoras' Mind"
"Fratres"
"Aima"

Check out more of his work that spans across many countries, cultures and time periods:
/ @faryafaraji.and.worldmusicians

You can also find them on the albums:

Songs of Old Iran Vols. I & II
Voices of the Ancients Vols. I & II

Additional Music:

Epidemic Sound

Also thanks to Malay Archer for helping with some of the machinimas using the Total War: Rome 2 Divide et Impera, Cyrus the Great campaign, Alexander the Great mod

Related Videos:

Greco-Persian Wars Playlist
• Greco-Persian Wars

Sources and Suggested Reading:

The Landmark Herodotus - Herodotus, Edited by Robert B. Strassler, translated by Andrea L. Purvis
The Histories (Penguin Classics) - Herodotus, Edited by John M. Marincola, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt
The Greco-Persian Wars - Peter Green
The Persian War in Herodotus and Other Ancient Voices - William Shepherd
The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides - Ed. Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm
Battles and Battlefields of Ancient Greece: A Guide to their History, Topography and Archaeology - C. Jacob Butera and Matthew A. Sears
First Clash: The Miraculous Victory at Marathon and its Impact on Western Civilization - Jim Lacey
From Cyrus the Alexander – Pierre Briant
The Greco-Persian Wars: A Short History with Documents - Erik Jensen
Thermopylae: The Battle that Changed the World - Paul Cartledge
Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE - Matt Waters
The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period - Amélie Kuhrt
Plutarch's Lives - Plutarch, translated by John Dryden
Library of History - Diodorus Siculus
A History of Greece: 1300-30 BC - Victor Parker
Ancient Greece: A Political, Social and Cultural History - Edited by Sarah B. Pomeroy
The Complete History of Ancient Greece - Edited by Don Nardo
A History of Ancient Persia - The Achaemenid Empire (Blackwell History of the Ancient World) - Maria Brosius
History of the Persian Empire - A.T. Olmstead
The Iranian Expanse – Matthew P. Canepa
The Persians - Jim Hicks

Follow History with Cy:

Instagram ► / historywithcy
Facebook ► / historywithcy
Twitter ► / historywithcy
Merch ► https://my-store-11502415.creator-spr...
Podcast ► https://historywithcy.buzzsprout.com/
Patreon ► / historywithcy

#ancienthistory #greekhistory #persia
History with Cy examines the tactical maneuvering and logistical struggles defining the lead-up to the decisive conflict at Plataea. This analysis explores the strategic positioning of Persian and Hellenic forces, the challenges of maintaining supply lines, and the complex diplomatic tensions that influenced command decisions on both sides of the Asopus River.