Plataea 479 BC

A highly illustrated account of the closing battle of the Greek and Persian War.

Plataea 479 BC details one of the biggest and most important land battles of pre-20th century history. Close to 100,000 hoplite and light-armed Greeks faced an even larger barbarian army that included elite Asian cavalry and infantry, with troops from as far away as India. Notably, thousands of Greek hoplites and cavalry also fought on the Persian side.

During several days of combat, the Persians, with their greater mobility and more fluid, missile tactics, nearly broke the Greek defensive line and succeeded in cutting off their supplies. However, in a fatal gamble when victory seemed within reach, their general Mardonius committed the cream of his infantry to close-quarters combat with the Spartans and their Peloponnesian allies.

This detailed reconstruction of the complex battle draws on recent studies of early 5th-century hoplite warfare and offers a fresh reading of the ancient textual sources, predominantly Herodotus, through close inspection of the battlefield.