The Battle of Salamis was a naval battle fought in 480 BC, between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles, and the Achaemenid Empire under King Xerxes. It resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was fought in the straits between the mainland and Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens, and marked the high point of the second Persian invasion of Greece. It was arguably the largest naval battle of the ancient world, and marked a turning point in the invasion.
Ionian soldier (Old Persian cuneiform 𐎹𐎢𐎴, Yaunā) of the Achaemenid army, c. 480 BC. Xerxes I tomb relief.
Battle of Salamis, 1785 engraving
Modern view of the strait of Salamis, where the battle took place. Seen from the south.
Battle order. The Achaemenid fleet (in red) entered from the east (right) and confronted the Greek fleet (in blue) within the confines of the strait.
Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river.
Scene from an Egyptian temple wall shows Ramesses' combined land and sea victory in the Battle of the Delta.
An ancient Greek trireme vessel
The naval battle of Sluys, 1340, from Jean Froissart's Chronicles
A Javanese junk and a Nanking junk.
