Editing Themistocles (section)

==== Battle of Artemisium ====
Thus, in August 480&nbsp;BC, when the Persian army was approaching Thessaly, the Allied fleet sailed to Artemisium, and the Allied army marched to Thermopylae.<ref name = h257>Holland, pp. 257–258</ref> Themistocles himself took command of the Athenian contingent of the fleet and went to Artemisium. When the Persian fleet finally arrived at Artemisium after a significant delay, Eurybiades, who both Herodotus and Plutarch suggest was not the most inspiring commander, wished to sail away without fighting.<ref name = VIII4>Herodotus [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126;query=chapter%3D%231307;layout=;loc=8.3.1 VIII, 4]</ref><ref name = PT7>Plutarch, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0182;query=chapter%3D%23223;layout=;loc=Them.%206.1 Themistocles, 7]</ref> At this point Themistocles accepted a large bribe from the local people for the fleet to remain at Artemisium, and he used some of it to bribe Eurybiades to remain, while pocketing the rest.<ref name = h276>Holland, p. 276</ref> From this point on, Themistocles appears to have been more or less in charge of the [[Battle of Artemisium|Allied effort]] at Artemisium.<ref name = PT7 /> Over three days of battle, the Allies held their own against the much larger Persian fleet, but sustained significant losses.<ref>Herodotus [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126;query=chapter%3D%231314;layout=;loc=8.10.1 VIII, 11–19]</ref> However, the loss of the simultaneous [[Battle of Thermopylae]] to the Persians made their continued presence at Artemisium irrelevant, and the Allies thus evacuated.<ref name = VIII21>Herodotus [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126;query=chapter%3D%231324;layout=;loc=8.20.1 VIII, 21]</ref> According to Herodotus, Themistocles left messages at every place where the Persian fleet might stop for drinking water, asking the Ionians in the Persian fleet to defect, or at least fight badly.<ref name = VIII22>Herodotus [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126;query=chapter%3D%231325;layout=;loc=8.23.1 VIII, 22]</ref> Even if this did not work, Themistocles apparently intended that Xerxes would at least begin to suspect the Ionians, thereby sowing dissension in the Persian ranks.<ref name = VIII22 />