The New Student's Reference Work/Salamis, Battle of

Salamis (săl′ȧ-mĭs), Battle of. This great naval battle was fought between the Greeks and the Persians in 480 B. C., a few days after the battle of Thermopylæ, in the narrow strait between the island of Salamis and the coast of Attica. The Greek fleet of 366 triremes was drawn up at the entrance of the bay forming the harbor of the town of New Salamis, the Athenians under Themistocles, the Corinthians under Adimantus, while the Spartan Eurybiades commanded the whole. Quarrels among the Greek leaders would probably have caused the fleet to break up, had not Themistocles by a stratagem got Xerxes, the Persian king, to bring up his fleet and give battle at once. Xerxes drew up his fleet, numbering 1,200 triremes and 3,000 smaller vessels, during the night before the battle, to block both entrances to the strait. Sure of victory, he took his seat on a throne on a lofty height on the Attic coast. Both Greeks and Persians fought with great bravery, but the latter were defeated, the Greeks being victorious in one of the most important sea-fights of history. It was one of the world's decisive battles.