It is possible to reconstruct the chronology of the Greek campaign of the Persian king Xerxes, which took place in the summer of 480 BCE, from the seventh, eighth and ninth book of The Histories by the Greek researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus. That his narrative was, from a chronological point of view, consistent, was already known at the beginning of the twentieth century, but the problem remains how to fit the events described by Herodotus into our own calendar.
Several attempts have been made. The reconstruction below is based on an article by Kenneth Sacks, "Herodotus and the Dating of the Battle of Thermopylae", which has been published in the Classical Quarterly ns. 26 (1976) pages 232-248. The topography of the advance of the Persian army is higly conjectural.
For a different view, see C. Hignett, Xerxes' Invasion of Greece (1963 Oxford), pages 379-385 and 448-457.
Diary of Xerxes' Invasion of Greece
Persian navy
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Greek navy
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Persian army
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Greek army
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Reaches Therma
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August 1-14
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Reaches Therma
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Xerxes to Tempe
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To Artemisium
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August 14-29
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Road building
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To Thermopylae
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At Therma
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Inactive
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August 30
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Leaves Therma; through Macedonia
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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August 31
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Through Macedonia
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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September 1
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Into Pieria
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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September 2
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Through Pieria
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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September 3
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Through Pieria
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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September 4
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Through Tempe
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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September 5
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Into Thessaly (Larisa)
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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September 6
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Through Thesaly
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Inactive
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September 7
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Through Thesaly
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Inactive
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At Therma; ten ships to Skiathos
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Three ships lost at Skiathos
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September 8
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Into Achaea
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Inactive
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At Therma
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Hides in Euripus
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September 9
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Through Achaea (along Halos)
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Inactive
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Leaves Therma, reaches Kasthanaia
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In hiding
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September 10; Carneia festival in Sparta
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Through Achaea, into Malis
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Inactive
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Along Magnesia
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In hiding
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September 11; Carneia festival in Sparta
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Through Malis
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Inactive
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Storm at Cape Squid
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In hiding
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September 12; Carneia festival in Sparta
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Reaches Thermopylae
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Inactive
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Storm at Cape Squid
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To Artemisium
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September 13; Carneia festival in Sparta
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Inactive
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Inactive
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Storm at Cape Squid
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Inactive
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September 14; Carneia festival in Sparta
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Inactive
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Inactive
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Reaches Aphetae
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Seizes 15 Persian ships
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September 15; Olympic games; Carneia festival
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Inactive
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Inactive
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200 ships detached
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Inactive
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September 16; Olympic games; Carneia festival
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Inactive
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Inactive
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Attacked by Greeks
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Seizes 30 Persian ships
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September 17; Olympic games; Carneia festival
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First day of fighting
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First day of fighting
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200 ships lost off Euboea
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Receives reinforcements
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Full moon (before dawn)
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Attacked by Greeks
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Destroys Cilician ships
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September 18; Olympic games; Carneia festival
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Second day of fighting
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Second day of fighting
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Circumvention
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Attacks Greeks
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Attacked by Persians
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September 19
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Victory at Thermopylae
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Defeat at Thermopylae
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Leaves Artemisium
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To Oreus
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Past Chalkis
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September 20
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Burial of the dead
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-
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To Thermopylae & back
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Reaches Salamis
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September 21
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Meeting at Thermopylae
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To Skiron's Road
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At Oreus
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Inactive
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September 22
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Leaves Thermopylae
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Destroys Skiron's road
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At Oreus
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Inactive
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September 23
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Though Phocis
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Works on Isthmus wall
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At Oreus
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Inactive
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September 24
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Though Boeotia
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Works on Isthmus wall
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At Oreus
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Inactive
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September 25
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Though Boeotia
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Works on Isthmus wall
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Leaves Oreus
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Inactive
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September 26
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Though Boeotia
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Works on Isthmus wall
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Passes Chalkis
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First meeting of admirals
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September 27
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Reaches Athens
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Works on Isthmus wall
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Second meeting
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Reaches Phalerum
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Inactive
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September 28
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Takes acropolis
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Works on Isthmus wall
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Themistocles' strategem
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Defeated at Salamis
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Defeats Persians
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September 29
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Occupies coast at Eleusis
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Works on Isthmus wall
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Building mole
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Inactive
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September 30
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Ravages Megara
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Works on Isthmus wall
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Building mole
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Inactive
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October 1
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Threatens Isthmus
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Works on Isthmus wall
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Building mole
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Inactive
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October 2; partial solar eclipse in the afternoon
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Threatens Isthmus
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Cleombrotus sacrifices
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Building mole
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Inactive
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October 3
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Withdraws to Attica
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Inactive
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Meeting at Phalerum
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Inactive
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October 4
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Meeting at Phalerum
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Inactive
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Leaves Phalerum
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To Hellespont
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Pursues Persians
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October 5
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Leaves Attica
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Disbanded
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