The Battle of Salamis is considered one of the most important battles in all of history. It was a naval battle fought between the massive Persian army and the smaller Greek army at the Bay of Salamis in 480 BCE. This battle was one of several battles that were part of the Greco-Persian War. This article will explore the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, including the advantages and disadvantages that both sides had, and finally discuss the effects that the outcome of this battle had on each side. Surprisingly, the much smaller Greek army defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. How did this happen, one might ask? Although the Persians seemed to have the military advantage in this battle, especially in terms of size and numbers, the Greeks managed to defeat them thanks to the help of their leaders, their tactics, and many Persian errors. The Battle of Salamis was completely unplanned. This was the result of Greek losses at Artemisium and Thermopylae. Themistocles, commander of the Greek army, decided to dock his ships in Salamis Bay to allow Greek citizens to evacuate Attica, a region of ancient Greece that included Athens, as the Persians were approaching quite quickly. There was much debate among all the Greek military leaders about whether or not they should follow Themistocles' plan. Luckily they accepted it, because who knows what would have happened if they hadn't. It was the last chance for Greece's survival and everyone knew it. Attica was already under attack by the Persian land force, commanded by Xerxes, the son of Darius. The Bay of Salamis was also a convenient place of battle because, if necessary, the Greeks could draw the Persians...... middle of a paper...... them. He kept the Greeks calm in relation to the panic of the Persian fleet and its loss of formation. The Greek crescent turned into a circle, completely surrounding the Persians. With that, Xerxes ordered his fleet to retreat, and they returned to their camp to try to come up with a plan for the days to come. It turns out that the Persians were retreating for good and the battle was over. The seas at the end of September were too rough, the navigation season was coming to an end and Xerxes did not want to take the risk of losing more triremes and/or troops. The Greek underdogs had done it. Although they did not understand the significance of this day at the time, it was one of the most important days in history and significantly changed the course of the world we live in today. The Persians lost around 200 ships, compared to only 40 Greeks. ships.