Battle of Thermopylae
When Xerxes I launched his massive invasion of Greece in 480 BCE, the Greeks chose to contest the narrow coastal pass of Thermopylae, where the Persian numerical advantage would be negated. King Leonidas I of Sparta commanded the defense with his royal bodyguard of 300 Spartans, plus contingents from Corinth, Thebes, Phocis, and other city-states — perhaps 7,000 men in total. For two days Leonidas held the pass. The Persian elite troops, the Immortals, attacked repeatedly and were repulsed with heavy casualties. The tight confines prevented Persian numbers from mattering; the longer spears and heavier armor of the Greek hoplites proved devastatingly effective. Xerxes reportedly sat on his throne watching in disbelief as his finest troops were hurled back. On the second night, a local Malian named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks by revealing a mountain path, the Anopaea trail, that bypassed the pass. Xerxes sent his Immortals around the flanks. When Greek scouts reported this, Leonidas dismissed most of the allied contingents. The 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians who stayed voluntarily, and 400 Thebans remained. On the third day the Spartans advanced into the wider part of the pass for a final battle. Leonidas fell early in the fighting. The Greeks fought until their spears broke, then with swords, then with bare hands. The Persians finally overwhelmed them with arrows from all sides. Thermopylae became one of antiquity's most celebrated military stands. The epitaph inscribed on the burial mound reads: 'Go, tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.' The battle delayed Xerxes and inspired Greek resistance.
- Year: 480 BCE
- Category: Military
