The news as it happened.
The 300 and Salamis
The Persian invasion of Greece under Xerxes, from the Greek march to Thermopylae and Artemisium through the stand at the pass and the sea fights off Euboea to the burning of Athens and the battle of Salamis, September and early October 480 BC
Written from the ancient historians, with every claim cited.
Start from the beginning Subscribe to this series
One issue each morning, starting with the week to 7 September 480 BC.
- The week to 7 September 480 BCAllies hold the pass at Thermopylae as the king comes southThe Greek allies hold the pass at Thermopylae and the strait off Artemisium as the Persian king comes down into Thessaly.
- The week to 14 September 480 BCThe king camps at Trachis, face to face with the GreeksThe king’s army camps at Trachis facing the pass, the allied fleet falls back to Chalcis after losing its guard ships off Sciathus, and a storm rises over the Persian fleet off Magnesia.
- The week to 21 September 480 BCPass at Thermopylae lost; Leonidas of Sparta killedThe pass at Thermopylae falls and Leonidas is killed, while the allied fleet, after three days of sea fights off Artemisium, falls back to Salamis.
- The week to 28 September 480 BCThe king holds Athens, and the acropolis is burnedThe Persians hold Athens and have burned the acropolis, the Peloponnesians wall the Isthmus, and at Salamis Themistocles persuades Eurybiades to keep the allied fleet in the strait and fight.
- The week to 5 October 480 BCAllied fleet routs the king’s ships in the strait of SalamisThe allied fleet has routed the king’s ships in the strait of Salamis, and this morning, finding the Persian fleet gone from Phalerum, the allies set out after it.
