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    Default Persian victories over the Greeks?

    Many believe that the Persians are sissis who only dared to shoot their bows from far away and can never stand up to Greek armies in close combat, largely due to the propaganda of ancient historians and Hollywood movies. However, Herodotus did state that Marathon was the first time a Greek army defeated Persians, in fact, they're even the first who really dared to try. And after the two Greco-Persian Wars, a great Athenian army was annihilated in Egypt, etc.
    But I failed to find much details about those Greek crushing defeats in Persian hands, which is abundant when they won, I guess that's because most resources we have now were recorded by Greek historians.
    So I want to know more about the great battles that did not end in favor of the Greeks and in detail if possible, I'm sure the historians here could help me? Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Villiage Idiot Member antisocialmunky's Avatar
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    Default Re: Persian victories over the Greeks?

    The cause of the First Persian War was Athen's unsuccessful support of a revolt by Ionian colonies under Persian control.
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    Member Member Dutchhoplite's Avatar
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    Wink Re: Persian victories over the Greeks?

    Thermopylae is a pretty well known Greek defeat
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    Senior Member Senior Member Ibn-Khaldun's Avatar
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    Default Re: Persian victories over the Greeks?

    Quote Originally Posted by Dutchhoplite View Post
    Thermopylae is a pretty well known Greek defeat
    Of course it was their defeat. I mean, how long can a Persian stand to listen someone yelling "This is SPARTA!"? It's getting boring after few hundred times!

    About the OP question, can't help you there. Hopefully someone who knows more can because this I'm interested of this as well.

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    Member Member MisterFred's Avatar
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    Default Re: Persian victories over the Greeks?

    I don't have the expertise to give you a good answer, especially on the battles. But I'll say that the Persians main advantage over the Greek was always money, organization, and political stability. Its only when these things begin to fall apart for Persia, and the Greeks find this out (enter Xenophon), that an invasion of Persia becomes feasible.

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    Member Member Hax's Avatar
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    Default Re: Persian victories over the Greeks?

    While not a victory, the Battle of the Persian Gate was pretty damn awesome. Overall, it kinda depends who you define as "Greek". They fought some battles in Macedon, and won, but the Persian King had a habit of bribing people, rather than engaging them in combat. For example, our dearest beloved Themistocles, who defeated the Persians with his "great wall"?

    He went to Persia after the Battle of Salamis and offered himself to the Persian King, for the shallow honor of being married to one of his daughters. As such, the Hellenes were known to the Persians as being untrustworthy, faithless and corrupt.
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  7. #7

    Default Re: Persian victories over the Greeks?

    Not to mention the fact that after thermopiles the spartans were often very happy recipients of persian gold...
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  8. #8

    Default Re: Persian victories over the Greeks?

    1) Battle of Ephesus in 498BC: the Greek hoplites including Athenians and Eretrians get smashed by the regional cavalry contingents of the satrapies of Asia Minor.
    2) Battle of Salamis (the Cyrpiot one) in 497BC: decisive defeat of the Cypriots
    3) Twin battles of river Menander in 497BC: The Carians suffer two consecutive massive defeats. It is worth noting that the even though the Carians were not Greeks, they had long been assimiliated into hoplite warfare, both in terms of armament and pressumably tactics. And in the second battle they had been bolstered by the army of Miletus.
    4) Battle of Malene in 493BC: The last act of the Ionian revolt, Histiaeus' mixed Aeolian/Ionian force gets scattered.
    5) Battle of Memphis 456BC: Megabuzys defeats the joint Egyptian/Athenian force and reclaims Egypt for the Achaemenids

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