A team of Greek archaeologists has discovered the ancient military port of the island of Salamis, the place from which the most decisive and epic naval battle of antiquity was launched.
The Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports has announced that a team of archaeologists has discovered the place where the naval forces of Greece and its allies met before the historic battle of Salamis against the Persians in 480 BCE. . Considered by many to be the turning point of the second Persian invasion of Greece, the battle was fought in the Saronic Gulf, in the strait that divides the mainland and the island of Salamis which gave its name to this battle.
» This is the first systematic underwater reconnaissance initiated by Greek institutions in a heavily polluted marine environment, but one of great historical importance. “, specifies the ministry.
In Ancient Greece, the naval port of Salamis was the largest of the four ports and the closest to the City of Athens. The other three ports were Piraeus Kantharos, Munichia and Zea. The battle was fought between the alliance of greatly outnumbered Greek city-states ruled by Themistocles and the Persian Empire under the rule of King Xerxes. It ended with a decisive Greek victory.
» It is difficult to predict what would have happened if the Greeks had lost at Salamis, but it is clear that a Persian victory would have had immense consequences, not only for Greece, but also for all the rest of Europe. commented Bjørn Lovén, archaeologist from the University of Copenhagen for Live Science magazine. He goes on to state that the Greek victory directly led to the Golden Age of Athens, a century which saw the explosion of development in democracy, philosophy, medicine, the natural sciences, architecture, visual arts, theater and literature.