Battle of Salamis
480 BCE · Greece
The Battle of Salamis was fought in 480 BCE in Greece between Greek city-states vs the Achaemenid Persian Empire; decisive Greek naval victory; Xerxes withdrew most of his army from Greece.
Battle of Salamis: quick facts
- Date
- 480 BCE
- Location
- Greece
- Belligerents
- Greek city-states vs the Achaemenid Persian Empire
- Commanders
- Themistocles and Eurybiades vs Xerxes I
- Result
- decisive Greek naval victory; Xerxes withdrew most of his army from Greece.
- Era
- 🏺 Ancient Greece & Rome
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Salamis?
Themistocles lured Xerxes' massive Persian fleet into the narrow straits of Salamis, where their numerical advantage became a liability. The more maneuverable Greek triremes rammed and sank Persian ships in the confined waters while Xerxes watched helplessly from his golden throne ashore. The decisive Greek victory ended the Persian naval threat and saved Greek civilization from conquest.
Did you know?
Xerxes reportedly had the Hellespont sea whipped 300 times as punishment after a storm destroyed his first bridge of boats, demonstrating the megalomania that would contribute to his defeat at Salamis.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Salamis on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.