Mykale, a naval battle?

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

I think,Stefane,that each one of these things held already true,since the Ionian revolt!
The Persians feared the greek navy since it wouldn't be strange if the Persian navy was actually smaller than the greek one at this point. They had already lost the battle of Salamis(we don't know casualties there,but probably great enough.And they had already sent the Phoenician fleet back to Phoenicia.
Herodotus gives the Persians six myriads (60.000 men) in Mycale.That would actually be a huge archaic army! And the battle seems to have been fierce! One wonders what exactly it means that "for as long as the wicker shield wall of the Perisans was pright ,they were defending themselves and had no disadvantage in the battle". it is also interesting that although the center of the Persian army (where the Persians themselves were fighting) was surrounded by the lacedaemonians, the greeks had many casualties! Another account of how valiantly the Persians were actually fighting,because by that time,not only they were the only ones still fighting,but they didn't colapse even when they were surrounded.
In the end Mykale looks like a persian catastorphy,because not only they lost the battle,but they were betrayed many times by the Ionians and the Samians both during and after the battle!
The Samians and other ionians had been actually stripped from weapons duting the battle! they also lost their fleet.
Now, the distruction of the fleet alone is important enough to justofy the battle as one of the most important on the War! Because obviously the Persians lost in Salamis,but their fleet was in no way destroyed there.
http://www.losttrails.com/pages/Tales/I ... tml#Mycale
Khairete
Giannis