BATTLE OF PLATAEA

                                 

In 479 BC

Plataea was the city of the final battle that repelled the second invasion of Greece. According to Herodotus the Spartan general Pausanias led an allied Greek defense against Mardonius Persians forces. Although they were vestly outnumbered, the Greeks were able to kill Mardonius, his death precipitated the Persian rout that followed. Accounts vary, but there in general agreement that the battle resulted in a significant number of Persian dead, with many more put to flight. This battle would mark the last time a Persian army invaded mainland Greece. The Greek victory at Plataea is commemorated by the so-called Serpent Column erected at Delphi