Battle of Thermopylae

Greek city-states often competed with each other for control over land and resources. In times of foreign invasion though, they banded together. In 490 B.C. the Persian king Darius I (550-486 B.C.) started the initial attempt at invasion as part of the First Persian War, but a combined Greek force turned back the Persian army at the Battle of Marathon. Ten years later, during the Second Persian War, one of Darius’ sons, Xerxes I (c. 519-465 B.C.), again launched an invasion against Greece.

Leonidas (c. 530-480 B.C.) was a king of the city-state of Sparta for about 10 years. As king, Leonidas was a military leader as well as a political one. Like all male Spartan citizens, Leonidas had been trained mentally and physically since childhood in preparation to become a warrior and lead his men into battle.

Under Xerxes I, the Persian army moved south through Greece on the eastern coast, accompanied by the Persian navy moving parallel to the shore. To reach its destination at Attica, the region controlled by the city-state of Athens, the Persians needed to go through the coastal pass of Thermopylae (The Hot Gates).

“We bow down before no man.” When a rich servant of the Persian King asked two Spartans why they would not befriend the Persian King who rewarded his those if they would only submit to him. They replied: “A slave's life is all you understand, you know nothing of freedom. For if you did, you would have encouraged us to fight on, not only with our spear, but with everything we have.” Afterwards (the two Spartans from the entry above) when they came to the Persian King's presence, the guards ordered them to fall down in homage and when they refused, force was used, the Spartan's resisted and this was their reply to the King “We bow down before no man.”

When Xerxes requested: 'Deliver up your arms', King Leonidas' replied, “Come and take them.” Leonidas established his army at Thermopylae, expecting that the narrow pass would funnel the Persian army toward his own force. Here the Greeks now waited, made up of only 300 Spartans under their king, Leonidas, and about 6,000 soldiers from other Greek cities. They faced a Persian army of perhaps 100,000 men For two days, the Greeks withstood the determined attacks of their far more numerous enemy. In the narrow space, the Persians could not make use of their greater numbers and the longer spears of the Greeks meant that they inflicted many casualties on the Persians

The Persians were unable to defeat the much smaller army of Greeks The Persians were unable to defeat the much smaller army of Greeks. The Persians had lost many men, but their luck was about to change. A Greek traitor named Ephialtes, came to the Persian king with information of huge importance. Above the pass of Thermopylae was another path that was known to local people only. It would allow the Persians to come secretly through the mountains and round behind the Greek army guarding the pass below. The Greeks would then be trapped with the Persians in front of and behind them.

“Have a good breakfast men, for we dine in Hades!” As darkness fell, the Persian king sent his best soldiers to take the secret path and so come up behind the Greeks. At dawn on the third day of battle, the Greeks discovered that they had been betrayed. Leonidas chose to fight to the end, knowing that his men could never win this battle. He told the remaining Greek soldiers to flee, but the Spartans would fight on.

After Leonidas was enclosed by the enemy at Thermopylae, desiring to save two that were related to him, he gave one of them a message and sent him away; but he rejected it, saying angrily, “I followed you as a soldier, not as a postman.” The other he commanded to go on a message to the magistrates of Sparta; but he, answered, “That is a messenger ’s business.” He took his shield, and returned back to his place in the line. One soldier did retreat and make it back to Sparta. He was viewed as a coward and was shunned by society. He did redeem himself in future battles.

“Then we shall fight in the shade.” The Spartans withdrew to a hill near the pass, together with a few other Greek soldiers who had refused to leave. They fought the Persians with all their remaining strength. But the Persian soldiers vastly outnumbered them and finally the Spartans were overwhelmed with a volley of arrows fired by the Persians.

And so the Spartans and those other Greeks who fought to the death had lost the battle for Thermopylae. The Persian army could now march into central Greece, wreaking havoc and destruction. But, although the Greeks had lost this battle, the great courage shown by the Spartans boosted the morale of other Greeks. They were not ready just yet to surrender to the Persians.