Persian Invasion of 480 BC - articles

[hoplite14gr]

Some points:

Based on Strabo, Stefanos of Byzantium, and the works an notes of people who had done geological and architectural research, the population of various Greek city-states have been established.
Most Bibliography is German. Is is a large volume of work.
In many case the calculations of the geologists, biologists and engineers agree with the ancient writers. Only the population of Athens was establised at 60000 thousant without counting the rest of Attika
If any of the most scholarly members can give references the beter.
(Sorry I feel lazy today :oops: )
Based on all these it is likely that Greeks fielded 100,000 men in Platea.
Xerxes mast have anticipated this possibility. So he must had collected more troops than that to better his chances. No one claims 5,000,000 .
The question is about references who can establish that if the defender could field X number then the attacker should field X+ or X++ to get the better of them. I find hard as I said before that the intelligence/diplomatic service of the Persian Empire had not given these estimates to Xerxes.
The biggest possibility is that the King miscalulated in everything.

Inaki does not trust Herodotus numbers but trust Thukidides.
I dissagree but I respect his opinion.
He mentioned Delion but at the same times Athenians were operating in other places too.
In my opinion if we establish number for the Greeks we can establish by comparison for the Persians.
Xenophon (an eye witness) 80 years later say that iws possible for a rebelious satrap (Cyrus) to raise 115.000. So an emperor could raise more than that.
Asuming 300,000 for the Persians I say it is possible and I mentioned various food preserving techniques and the overlook peraparatory campaigns of 485 to 480 B.C. were whole Northen Greek colonies were laid waste, looted and the polulations porbably starved to death in order to build the supply infrastracture.

I belive that Xerxes failed because he ovestreched himself.

Kind regards