From Marathon to Salamis: How Greece Stopped XerxesMarathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. How Greece stopped Xerxes in battles that reshaped Europe. On the shores of Asia Minor, the Ionian Revolt lit the fuse. Backed by Athens, rebels burned Sardis, drawing the wrath of Darius. Hippias, the exiled Athenian noble, returned as a Persian pawn while a vast fleet moved toward Attica. At Marathon, Athens sent a runner to Sparta, faced a religious delay, and mustered hoplites beside a small force from Plataea. On the plain, the Athenian general Miltiades thinned his center, reinforced his flanks, and charged at a trot to blunt the archers. The Persian wings collapsed, the center buckled, and a bloodied messenger reached Athens to gasp “Victory” before falling. A forced march to Phaleron caught the enemy feet-wet and triggered a withdrawal. A decade later, Xerxes crossed into Greece with a colossal host, and the Hellenic League formed under Spartan command. At Thermopylae, Leonidas and 300 Spartans with allied Greeks held the middle gate until betrayal opened a mountain track. When told Persian arrows would blot out the sun, the Spartans answered they would fight
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