Question

Why do you think the Persian fleet sailed close to the Greek coastline instead of sailing directly across the Aegean Sea in its quest to invade Athens?

Answer 1

Answer: For synergy with ground troops

Explanation:

Under Darius the Great, some Greek cities rebelled against the Persians with the support of Athens. Darius put down the revolt and wanted to punish Athens and sailed with a huge army and navy to do so.

The Persian fleet however sailed close to land instead of moving to invade Athens directly. This was said to be because the Persians did not want to risk sailing on the unfamiliar Aegean where they could suffer damage but instead wanted to share resources with the land army that was marching to Greece to mitigate this risk.