On thermopylea and platea

Today I shall be arguing and elaborating upon the thesis that the battle at Thermopylae was instrumental in insuring the victory at Plataea against the Persian army as it allowed for Greece to build up its army’s in preparation for the upcoming battle. I shall attempt to prove this statement by discussing various aspects of the battle of Thermopylae and the battle of Plataea such as battle tactics, size of the Greek and Persian armies and the overall intent and outcome of both battles.
The primary reason that the Greeks were able to claim victory over the Persians during their invasion of Greece was primarily due to the Spartans and more importantly the actions of the 300 Spartans and their king leonidas at the battle of Thermopylae, as it was here at the Pass of Thermopylae that the Spartans and other members of Greek society held off the Persian army outnumbered and outmatched for almost five days straight. This ultimately delayed the advance of the Persian army and allowed for the Greeks to send messengers from Thermopylae to the other Greek city states in order to warn them of the Persian invasion and allow them to amass their armies. Even though the battle of Thermopylae was a Persian victory it did however give the Spartans and other Greeks a chance to prove their might and the main reason they were able to hold out as long as they did was due to their superior battle tactics.
One of the main reasons the Spartans and the other Greeks were able to hold out so long at Thermopylae and secure victory at Plataea was primarily due to their superior battle tactics. The most notable and successful tactic employed by the Greeks was the Phalanx manuver, a wall of overlapping shields and layered spear points, the troops were trained to hold their position within the phalanx which created and almost impenetrable wall, they would then push as one and then attack as one. Out of all the Greeks the Spartans were by far the strongest and most well trained thus their