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Continued...

Mardonius, seeing next morning the columns of Greeks retreating upward on the hills, from his camp by the river, was prompt to pursue them. He could not see however, the Spartans who had remained hidden behind the low hills, which arose from the valley.

Pausanius was offering sacrifice and asking for a good omen, as the Persians approached. Less disciplined soldiers may have despaired; not so the Spartans. Even as the approaching Persians discovered them and came within bow distance, they began showering them with arrows, which pierced their shields and killed them. The Spartans lamented not of dying, but of doing so without striking a blow to the enemy.

Pausanius continued to offer sacrifice and to wait for a favorable omen. Distressed, he called on the Goddess Hera. The omens suddenly changed and became favorable. Then the Spartans, followed by their Thegean allies, attacked.

There were 53,000 Greeks in all, opposing the Persians much superior forces. The Athenians were elsewhere engaging the Thebes and could not be counted on for help. That did not deter the Spartans, who led the attack.

The Persians protected themselves with their shields, forming a line behind which other soldiers could send arrows, which took their toll on the Spartans. Still, the Spartans kept on coming. Eventually, the came upon the line of shields and overran it. There ensued a hand-to-hand combat in which the Persians fought bravely, but without armor they were no match for the Spartans. The Spartan Army, with shields touching each other, kept on advancing and overcoming any obstacle in their way.

The Persians resisted valiantly. They fought with everything they had. Mardonius on his white horse and surrounded by his elite troops, fought to the end, inspiring his men. In time, the Greeks were able to kill Mardonius and his elite troops. The rest of the Persians then retreated to their fort, seeking refuge within its wooden walls.

The Spartans, great soldiers though they were on the field of battle, had little experience in attacking forts or in sieges. Their efforts proved useless. The Persians, aware of their disadvantage in the open field, were not about to come out into the open to fight them. There was an impasse.

Meanwhile, the Athenians had been fighting the Thebes. Here, it was not a battle of Europeans against Asiatic, but Europeans against Europeans. Both sides were well equipped and equally brave. The battle was fierce and prolonged. In the end, the Athenians were victorious and the Thebes completely annihilated.

As soon as their battle with the Thebes was over, the Athenians did not stop to lick their wounds. They marched right away to aid the Spartans. Their unbelievable bravery and dedication to duty set new standards in history.

The Athenians, motivated as they were after their hard-fought victory over Thebes, was an unstoppable force. When they joined the Spartans and the Thegeans, the wooden fort could not hold them back. Their fierce attack overcame the fort and its defenders. Then, there followed such a carnage that it is reported that, out of 260,000 Persians, only about 3,000 survived. The Persian Empire dreams of overcoming Greece had ended.

Returning to Athens, the victorious Athenians found the city totally destroyed. Lesser men may have despaired; not so the Athenians. The soldier once again became the artisan; inherited and acquired skills went to work hard. In the span of time of only one generation, they built such a magnificent city, such beautiful, airy yet strong temples and public buildings, that their ruins, even after twenty five centuries, still remain as a mute tribute to the fathers of our civilization.