Final stages battle of Platae cavalry?

[Danielmeijers]

Hey all,

I read Peter Connoly's description of the battle of Platea.
It is a very interesting read since he takes his observations of the terrain on the battlefield in account, rather than relying solely on Herodotus.
What strikes me however is that most of the victory by the Greeks was thanks to a bit of luck and Spartan combat efficiency!
I wonder however were the Persian cavalry was during the clash with the infantry and the Spartans.
Were they either to busy somewhere else, did a persian cavalry flank attack on the Spartan rear had no effect at all, due to Spartan discipline?

[Walhaz]

Check out Hans Delbruck's Warfare in Antiquity. He talks about why he doesn't think the Persian cavalry affected the battle. There are other, more recent interpretations, but Delbruck seems like a good place to start, at least.

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

I would strongly reccomend Lazenby's "The Defence Of Greece" for some of the best analyses of the Persian Wars, the exact actions of the two sides before during and after battle, goo dgrasp of the terrain and topography.
Lazeby's approach is that he trusts Herodotus as our best source and fairly reliable as far as the facts are concerned, but he views everything with a critical eye in regard of the reasons and motives of the actions.
He's very analytical and very easy to read.
Connolly's account of the battle of Plataea is one of the best brief ones, and one that deserves to be read even by the profficient historian, however it is too short to cover all aspects of the battle, like the role of the Persian cavalry during the battle.
Khaire
Giannis