Salamis
An island in the Saronic Gulf where the Greeks won a decisive naval victory over Persia and where Ajax was king
The Story of Salamis
Salamis is an island in the Saronic Gulf just west of Athens, famous both in mythology and history. In myth, Salamis was the kingdom of Ajax the Great, son of Telamon, one of the mightiest Greek warriors at Troy. Ajax's suicide after losing the contest for Achilles' armour to Odysseus brought lasting grief to the island, and Salamis maintained a hero cult in his honour for centuries. The island's historical fame rests on the naval Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE, where the allied Greek fleet, led by the Athenian Themistocles, lured the vastly larger Persian armada of Xerxes into the narrow strait between Salamis and the mainland. In the confined waters, the Persians' numerical superiority became a liability — their ships collided with one another while the more manoeuvrable Greek triremes attacked from all sides. Xerxes watched the destruction of his fleet from a throne on the shore. The victory at Salamis saved Greece from Persian conquest and is considered one of the most consequential battles in Western history. Aeschylus, who likely fought in the battle, dramatised the Persian defeat in his play the Persians.
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None recorded
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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