Casting Through Ancient Greece
Casting Through Ancient Greece
Teaser: Plataea, Clash of Military Systems (Patreon)
Two distinct military systems, two worldviews, one decisive battlefield. The clash at Plataea in 479 BCE represents far more than a Greek victory over Persian invaders – it embodies the collision of fundamentally different approaches to warfare, each reflecting the society that created it.
Following the naval defeat at Salamis, Persian King Xerxes withdrew with most of his forces, but left his trusted commander Mardonius with an elite army estimated at 70,000 men. This wasn't merely an occupation force but a carefully selected contingent designed to bring the Greek campaign to a decisive close. With its diverse troops drawn from across the vast Persian Empire, this army excelled in mobility, missile warfare, and cavalry tactics – elements that had fuelled Persian expansion across the ancient world.
Standing against this imperial host was the Greek coalition, cantered around the hoplite phalanx – heavily armoured citizen-soldiers fighting in tight formation. Each man carried a large round shield (aspis), bronze helmet, chest plate, greaves, and long spear, creating a formation where survival depended on maintaining cohesion with one's neighbours. This military system directly reflected Greek civic values – interdependence, discipline, and collective action for the polis.
The preliminary phases revealed the contrasting strengths of both approaches. Persian cavalry successfully harassed Greek positions, disrupting supply lines and forcing the hoplites into defensive postures ill-suited to their equipment and training. Yet when Mardonius mistook a Greek repositioning for retreat and ordered a full attack, the disciplined Spartan and Tegean hoplites demonstrated the phalanx's devastating effectiveness in close combat. Mardonius' death in the melee shattered Persian coordination, transforming their advance into a catastrophic rout.
What makes Plataea fascinating isn't just the outcome but the complex interplay of factors that produced it. The Greek victory stemmed not from inherent military superiority but from effectively exploiting favourable terrain, maintaining psychological resilience, and capitalizing on the moment when conditions suited their strengths. The battle became a cultural touchstone that shaped Greek identity for generations – a moment when citizen-soldiers defending their homes prevailed against history's greatest empire.
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Hello everyone and thank you for continuing to support the series here on Patreon. I do apologise for the break in the release schedule. However, other life factors have been influencing the amount of time I have had to devote to the podcast, though it looks like I can now put more focus on the series moving forward and get back to a regular schedule. During this period I had stopped the Patreon payments since no new episodes were released in this time. But now we should be back on track and let's get back into our bonus episodes with a look at Platea as a clash of military systems.
Speaker 2:With the defeat of the Persian fleet at Salamis, the strategic situation in Greece had shifted dramatically. Xerxes, unwilling to risk the loss of his own entire force, had withdrawn, with the bulk of the Persian army back across the Hellespont. However, he did not abandon the campaign altogether, spot. However, he did not abandon the campaign altogether. Mardonius, one of the most experienced and trusted Persian commanders, would remain in Greece with a carefully selected force. Herodotus tells us that this contingent amounted to 300,000 men, though modern estimates place it much lower, perhaps around 70,000. Regardless of the precise figure, it was still a formidable army, one that included the best of the Persian forces and a cavalry arm that had proven highly effective throughout the invasion. The Greeks, on the other hand, now saw a new opportunity. With the Persian fleet neutralised, the immediate threat of another seaborne invasion on Athens and the Peloponnese was removed. Attention could now turn to a decisive land confrontation. Both sides understood that the issue of Persian control in mainland Greece would be decided on the battlefield and the coming clash would take place in the territory of Plataea.
Speaker 2:What makes Plataea stand out, however, is not simply that it was a final battle of the Persian Wars. Rather, it has long been viewed as a moment where two distinct military systems came face to face. On the one hand stood the Persians, with their emphasis on mobility, archery and a multi-ethnic composition of forces drawn from across the empire. On the other were the Greeks with their heavy infantry, hoplites, citizen-soldiers fighting in close formation, relying on discipline and shock power. At Plataea, it was not only armies that would collide, but also two very different approaches to warfare, each rooted in its own society's values, traditions and experience. The question then becomes was Plataea truly the vindication of the hoplite phalanx as a superior mode of combat, as later Greek writers liked to present it, or was it instead a victory born of circumstances, terrain, Persian missteps and the particular dynamics of this campaign. To explore this, we must first understand the character of each military system, their strengths and weaknesses and how these played out in the final, decisive engagement.
Speaker 2:The force that Mardonius commanded in Greece represented the very heart of the Persian military system. Though Xerxes had withdrawn to Asia with the greater part of his host, mardonius had been entrusted with what Herodotus describes as the picked troops of the empire. This was no ordinary garrison force left behind to watch over subdued territory, but a carefully selected army designed to bring the campaign to a decisive close. Its strength lay in its diversity, for it was drawn from across the vast territories under Persian control, each contingent bringing its own traditions of fighting vast territories under Persian control, each contingent bringing its own traditions of fighting. Herodotus provides us with one of the more detailed accounts of this army, listing Persians, medes, bactrians, indians and the Sakhae among its infantry, supported by a cavalry arm that had already demonstrated its effectiveness in earlier stages of the invasion.
Speaker 2:The Persian strength and mounted warfare cannot be overstated. Their cavalry was a flexible and mobile force capable of harassing enemy positions, cutting off supplies and forcing opponents into disadvantageous ground. At Plataea. This cavalry would be employed repeatedly to great effect in the days leading up to the battle, and it became one of the defining features of the Persian approach. The Persian infantry also reflected the empire's style of warfare. They carried wicker shields and were often lightly armoured, with some units using scale or quilted protection. Their weapons included short spears, swords and, most importantly, bows. Missile fire was a critical element of the Persian system, allowing them to weaken and disorientate their enemy before close engagement. When supported by cavalry manoeuvres, this could place immense pressure on opposing forces, as had been seen in other campaigns throughout the empire.
Speaker 2:Yet this system carried with it certain weaknesses when confronting the Greek hoplite model. The lighter equipment of the Persian infantry left them at a disadvantage in the dense, close-quarter combat of a phalanx clash. While their mobility and flexibility could be decisive in open terrain, they were far less effective when forced into a grinding melee against heavily armoured opponents. Furthermore, the very diversity that gave the Persian army its breadth of tactical options also presented challenges. Coordinating such a multi-ethnic force with varying equipment and methods of fighting demanded a level of unity and cohesion that was difficult to achieve under battlefield pressure. In many ways, the Persian army at Plataea represented the strengths and vulnerabilities of the empire itself. In many ways, the Persian army at Plataea represented the strengths and vulnerabilities of the empire itself. It was vast, diverse and formidable, yet also carried with it structural challenges that could be exposed under the right conditions. To understand the full significance of this, we must now turn to the opposing system, the Greek phalanx, and see how these two ways of war would be brought into collision.
Speaker 2:On the fields of Plataea, opposing Mardonius and his Persian host, stood the allied Greek force, assembled under Spartan leadership but comprised of contingents from across the Hellenic world. Herodotus provides us with a figure of some 110,000 men, though modern historians tend to see this as exaggerated. Regardless of the precise number, it was a force that represented an unprecedented coalition of polis, united in their determination to expel the invader from Greek soil. At its core lay the hoplite phalanx, the defining military formation of the Greek city-states. The hoplite was, first and foremost, a citizen-soldier Equipped at his own expense. He carried the heavy panoply that gave the formation both its strength and its limitations. Central to this was a large round shield, the aspis, designed not only to protect the bearer but could also cover the man to his left, reinforcing the cohesion of the line. Alongside this came the bronze helmet, chest plate and greaves, with many carrying equipment of considerable weight, armed with a long spear as their primary weapon and a sword as a secondary. These men were trained to fight in close order, shoulder to shoulder, moving as one.
Speaker 2:The phalanx's strength was in its unity A tightly packed line of armoured men. Each shield overlapping with its neighbours could deliver devastating shock power in a frontal assault. In the right conditions, few forces could withstand the momentum and weight of such a charge. This discipline and cohesion were central to the Greek way of fighting and, much like the Persian army, reflected the empire, the phalanx reflected the polis. It was a formation that relied on the cooperation and resolve of its citizens. Each man's survival depended on the reliability of the comrade beside him.
Speaker 2:However, this system was not without its weaknesses. The Phalanx was an inflexible formation, well suited to set peace battles on favourable ground, but vulnerable when drawn into disorder. Its heavy equipment made manoeuvre difficult and its reliance on close combat left it exposed to missile fire and harassment from cavalry Aplatia. These weaknesses would become apparent in the early stages as the Persian cavalry operated freely against Greek positions. Nevertheless, the psychological and symbolic power of these hoplite phalanxes should not be underestimated. To the Greeks, the formation was not simply a military tactic, but an embodiment of their civic identity and a collective resolve. As the coalition gathered at Plataea, it was this ideal that stood against the multi-ethnic host of Persia. The outcome of the coming battle would in many ways determine not only the survival of the Greek state but the credibility of the hoplite system itself when tested against the greatest empire, the ancient world. The days leading up to the decisive clash at Plataea would reveal the strengths and weaknesses inherent in both the Persian and Greek ways of war.
Speaker 2:Mardonius, aware of the difficulties his infantry faced against the Greek phalanx, sought to exploit the advantages of his cavalry. This arm of the Persian force had already proven highly effective earlier in the campaign, and a platea would once again take centre stage. Herodotus recounts that the Persian cavalry, under the command of Macisteus, began harassing the Greek positions soon after both sides had taken up their camps. They would ride out against the Greek lines, losing arrows and javelins, before retreating a form of warfare designed to disrupt and wear down the enemy without risking a set-piece engagement. This style of combat exposed the limitations of the Greek system, for the hoplite phalanx, with its heavy armour and rigid formation was poorly suited to respond to such mobile and elusive attacks. The cavalry succeeded in cutting off Greek foraging parties and threatening their supply lines, forcing the Greeks into a defensive posture.
Speaker 2:The death of Macisteus, however, after being unhorsed and killed in one of these skirmishes, provided a momentary boost to Greek morale. His fall was treated with great ceremony by the Persians, who mourned their commander loudly, while the Greeks saw in it a sign that even the feared cavalry could be resisted. Yet the broader tactical situation remained unchanged the Persian horsemen continued to exact pressure and the Greeks found themselves increasingly constrained, unable to bring their full strength to bear in the type of battle that best suited them. It was in this context that Pausanias, the Spartan commander, faced the difficult task of managing a coalition army under constant harassment task of managing a coalition army under constant harassment. Herodotus tells us that Pausanias was reluctant to engage prematurely, waiting instead on for favourable omens from the sacrifices before committing to battle. This delay, however, only intensified the pressure on the Greek positions, with the Persians continuing their attacks and cutting off vital water supplies.
Speaker 2:Here we see the contrast between the two systems most clearly. Before the actual clash, the Persians used their mobility to dictate the flow of events, while the Greeks relied on their discipline and cohesion to endure. The stage was being set for the confrontation that both sides knew was inevitable. But the opening manoeuvres highlighted just how vulnerable the Hoplite system could be when forced to operate outside its ideal conditions. The decisive moment at Plataea would come only after a tense series of manoeuvres and miscommunications. The Greek position, though strong, had become increasingly precarious under Persian pressure. Cavalry raids had disrupted their access to supplies, while constant harassment made their camp less tenable with each passing day. In response, pausanias decided on a night withdrawal to reposition the army closer to more favourable ground.
Speaker 2:However, as Herodotus recounts, the operation did not unfold smoothly. The withdrawal was poorly coordinated, with the different contingents moving at varying times and in varying directions. This created the impression of disorder, a fact quickly recognised by the Persians. This created the impression of disorder, a fact quickly recognised by the Persians. Mardonius, believing the Greeks to be in retreat, seized the moment. He ordered his infantry forward, supported by his cavalry, determined to press the advantage and bring about a decisive victory. To Persian eyes, the Greek force appeared to be dissolving under the weight of sustained pressure. An opportunity too valuable to ignore. Yet, in reality, while the Greek army was scattered, its core contingents, including the Spartans and Tigeans, remained intact, fighting order.
Speaker 2:The Persians advanced aggressively, their archers losing volleys of arrows as they closed the distance. Pausanias, confronted with the imminent attack, once again turned to the gods, offering sacrifices in the hope of favourable omens before engaging. Herodotus paints the scene vividly, describing the tension as the Spartans stood firm under the incoming missile fire, waiting until the signs were deemed auspicious. Only then would they advance. When the lines finally met, the contrast between the two systems could not have been clearer. The Persians, with their wicker shields and lighter armour, attempted to fight with agility and speed, relying on their numbers and missile weapons. The Greeks, by contrast, advanced in close formation, shields locked and spears extended.
Speaker 2:In the brutal shock of the close combat, the advantage lay firmly with the hoplites. The weight of the phalanx drove into the Persian line, and though the Persians fought bravely, even seizing the enemy's spears and attempting to break the formation, they were unable to withstand the pressure. The turning point came with the death of Mardonius, himself Struck down in the melee. His fall had a devastating effect on the Persian morale. The army, already faltering under the relentless push of the hoplites, now collapsed into disorder. What had begun as an apparent opportunity for the Persians quickly unravelled into a rout. The Greeks pressed their advantage, driving their enemy back towards their camp, where the slaughter became all the more severe. Driving their enemy back towards their camp, where the slaughter became all the more severe.
Speaker 2:Aplatia. The confrontation between the two systems reached its climax. The Persian reliance on mobility, missile fire and lighter equipment had faltered against the dense cohesion and shock power of a hoplite phalanx. In this clash, fought on the terms favourable to the Greeks, the superiority of their formation was laid bare, while the vulnerabilities of the Persian system were fatally exposed. The outcome, aplatea, invites careful consideration.
Speaker 2:For while the battle appears at first glance to be a straightforward Greek victory, the reasons behind it are complex. Herodotus and later commentators emphasised the role of courage and discipline. Yet it is clear that the Greeks excess as much as a function of circumstances and tactical advantage as of inherent superiority. One of the primary factors was terrain. Plataea's ground, though not mountainous, was uneven and restricted in certain areas, limiting the effectiveness of Persian cavalry and reducing their mobility. Where open plains might have allowed the Persians to exploit their speed and skirmishing ability, the chosen battlefield forced them into constrained zones where the hoplite phalanx could deliver a maximum shock. The Greek commanders, particularly Pausanias, recognised this advantage and sought to fight where their strengths would be decisive.
Speaker 2:Greek unity and cohesion also proved decisive. The hoplites relied on each man's commitment to his neighbour, with shields overlapping and ranks advancing as a single entity. In contrast, the Persian army, though formidable in size and diversity, depended on contingents operating with their own methods and command structures. When Mardonius fell, coordination collapsed rapidly and the army's psychological resilience, less reinforced by cohesion than the Greeks, dissolved in the face of a concentrated phalanx. Morale and motivation played an equally important role. The Greeks fought on familiar ground to defend their homes, their polyes and their way of life.
Speaker 2:The Persians, despite their skill and training, were an occupying force operating far from the heart of their empire. While discipline could hold lines under ordinary circumstances, it could not compensate for the sudden shock of a concentrated frontal assault by determined heavy infantry. Finally, the timing and execution of the Greek advance magnified the effectiveness of their system. By waiting for favourable omens and advancing in the full formation at a decisive moment, they neutralised the Persian advantage in mobility and ranged combat. What might have been a chaotic withdrawal became, through discipline and cohesion, an opportunity to strike decisively. In sum, the victory of the hoplites of Plataea was a combination of factors the proper exploitation of terrain, the psychological and social cohesion of the Greek army and the careful orchestration of engagement by the commanders. While the battle certainly highlighted the effectiveness of the phalanx, it also illustrates that no systems of warfare is universally superior.
Speaker 2:Success depends upon the interplay of environment, leadership and circumstance. Beyond the tactical and material factors, plataea carried profound cultural and ideological significance for the Greeks. Herodotus presents the battle not merely as a military encounter, but as a confrontation between two fundamentally different ways of life. On one side stood the Persian Empire, vast and multi-ethnic, ruled from a distant monarch with subjects drawn from across the known world. On the other stood the Greek city-states, each fiercely independent, bound together by a sense of civic duty and communal identity, and represented in the army by citizen-soldiers fighting for their homes. The hoplite phalanx itself embodied this cultural ethos Each man's survival and success depended on the steadfast of his neighbour. A literal manifestation of the interdependence central to Greek society.
Speaker 2:As Victor Davis Hanson observes, the phalanx was not only a method of war. Literal manifestation of the interdependence central to Greek society. As Victor Davis Hanson observes, the phalanx was not only a method of war, but also a political statement. It demonstrated the ability for citizens to organize collectively, to subordinate individual impulses to the good of the polis and to wield that unity effectively in combat. In this light, the phalanx was a reflection of the Greek ideal, and Plataea became a validation of that ideal under the most testing circumstances. By contrast, the Persian army, while formidable, symbolised imperial authority rather than civic participation. Its multi-ethnic opposition, reliance on mounted troops and strategic mobility all reflected the practicalities of controlling a vast empire rather than the cultivation of a shared sense of civic duty. Herodotus repeatedly highlights the psychological impact of this contrast.
Speaker 2:When the Greeks stood firm under the missile fire or advanced disciplined formation against the Persians, it was not simply a matter of skill on a society capable of instilling cohesion, courage and purpose in its citizens. The outcome of Plataea, therefore, was interpreted by the Greeks as more than a military victory. It was a symbolic triumph of freedom over despotism, of citizen-soldiers defending their homes against the imperial system. Over time, this interpretation would be reinforced in the historical memory of Greece, with Plataea celebrated as a decisive moment when Greek values embodied in the phalanx proved superior to the Persian method of warfare. The battle thus became a cultural touchstone, shaping the Greek perceptions of themselves and their place in the world for generations to come.
Speaker 2:The immediate consequences of Plataea were both dramatic and far-reaching. With the death of Mardonius and the rout of the Persian army, the threat of a land-based Persian invasion of Greece effectively ended. Herodotus recounts that the survivors of the Persian force were pursued and cut down as they retreated to the river and their camp, marking a complete reversal from the earlier phases of the campaign. For the Greeks, the victory was not merely tactical. It secured the Peloponnese and much of the central Greece from further Persian occupation, allowing the city-states to consolidate and recover after years of conflict.
Speaker 2:The legacy of Plataea extended well beyond the battlefield. Militarily, it reinforced the perception that the hoplite phalanx was a dominant form of warfare, capable of defeating even the most skilled and numerically superior opponents when employed with discipline and cohesion. Greek confidence in the phalanx would shape the strategic thinking of city-states for decades, influencing their approach in subsequent conflicts, including the Peloponnesian War. The battle became a reference point for military theorists and historians alike, a case study in the interplay between tactics, morale and the organisation of citizen armies. Culturally and politically, plataea took on a symbolic significance. The Greeks framed the victory as a triumph of freedom, unity and civic responsibility over imperial domination. The hoplite, once a practical instrument of war, became an emblem of Greek identity and the ideals of Apollos. Cities celebrated the victory through monuments, commemorations and storytelling, embedding Plataea into the collective memory as a moment when Greek values had decisively prevailed.
Speaker 2:Yet the story also carries a note of irony. While the phalanx had proved its effectiveness, later conflicts would show the Greeks adopting and adapting elements of the Persian system. Cavalry, light infantry and mercenary forces became increasingly important in the Hellenistic armies. Plataea, therefore, was not the final word on military superiority, but a demonstration of the power of a well-disciplined citizen army operating under favourable conditions. It was a victory born of circumstances as much as skill, but one whose immediate and enduring effects would resonate across the Greek world.
Speaker 2:In reflection on Plataea, one sees not only a battlefield triumph, but a convergence of strategy, ideology and social cohesion. The clash of military systems revealed the strengths and its limitations of each. Yet it is the Greek narrative, the story of citizen-soldiers holding firm against the vast empire, that has echoed through history, shaping how the battle has been remembered and celebrated for over two millennia. Thank you all for your contingent support here on Patreon. I really do appreciate it. We should now be able to stay on track with our monthly bonus episodes, as I really do enjoy creating them. Thanks again, and I'll see you next month, where we'll take a closer look at Pausanias and the Spartan leadership around this period. You.