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Plataea

Battles
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A 479 BCE Greek victory over Persia, ending the Persian invasion of Greece.

Detailed Definition
Plataea secured Greek independence and marked the dawn of classical Athens. In poetry, it symbolizes the defense of freedom against tyranny—frequently appearing in neoclassical and Romantic verse as a foundational moment of Western civilization, where citizen-soldiers preserved democracy, philosophy, and art from imperial subjugation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Plataea, 479 BCE Greek victory over Persia, appears in Pindar’s odes as freedom’s triumph; A modern sonnet might frame Plataea’s fields as birthplace of Western unity; In a dramatic monologue, a Spartan recalls holding the line at Plataea; A free-verse elegy could mourn the Persian dead denied glory in Greek accounts; Contemporary poets use Plataea to reflect on coalition defense against empire; A haiku might capture olive trees shading Plataea’s ancient stones.
Additional Notes
Plataea (479 BCE) ended the Persian invasion of Greece with a decisive land victory; in Hellenic and Enlightenment poetry, it symbolizes the triumph of free citizen-soldiers over imperial despotism, often paired with Salamis to represent the dual salvation of Greek civilization by land and sea.
Also Known As
Battle of Plataea
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