Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/118

74 General History of Europe Salamis (see map, p. 52), while the main army of the Spartans and their allies was drawn up on the Isthmus of Corinth, the only point at which the Greek land forces could hope to make another stand. 109. Persians invade Attica and burn Athens. As the Persian army moved southward from Thermopylae the undaunted Themis- tocles gathered together the Athenian population and carried them in transports to the little islands of Salamis and ygina and the shores of Argolis. The courage of many of the Greeks at Salamis was shaken as they looked northward, where the far-stretching Persian host darkened the coast road, while to the south they could see the Asiatic fleet drawn up off the port of Athens. High over the Attic hills the flames of the burning Acropolis showed red against the somber masses of smoke that told them that the homes of the Athenians lay in ashes. 110. Battle of Salamis (480B.C.). On the heights overlook- ing the Bay of Salamis, Xerxes, seated on his throne, in the midst of his brilliant oriental court, watched the battle. The Persian ships found themselves at a great disadvantage in attempting to reach the Greek vessels, which were crowded in the narrow waters between the island of Salamis and the mainland. The huge Asiatic fleet soon fell into confusion before the Greek attack. The com- bat lasted the entire day, and when darkness settled on the Bay of Salamis the Persian fleet had been almost annihilated. The Athenians were now masters of the sea. By the creation of its powerful fleet Athens had saved Greece, and Themistocles had shown himself the greatest of Greek statesmen. 111. Retreat of Xerxes and Expulsion of the Persians. Xerxes was now troubled lest he should be cut off from Asia by the victorious Greek fleet. With many losses from disease and with insufficient supplies he retreated to the Hellespont and with- drew into Asia, leaving his able general Mardonius with an army of perhaps fifty thousand men to winter in Thessaly. But the following spring the Greeks were able to defeat Mar- donius at Plataea and expel the remnants of Xerxes' vast army from Greece.