<P> The Battle of Salamis ( / ˈsæləmɪs / ; Ancient Greek : Ναυμαχία τῆς Σαλαμῖνος , Naumachia tēs Salaminos ) was a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city - states under Themistocles and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BC which resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks . The battle was fought in the straits between the mainland and Salamis , an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens , and marked the high - point of the second Persian invasion of Greece . </P>
the battle of salamis was significant because it
resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks