For the first two days, the Greeks were able to hold the front line, preventing the Persians from breaking through the narrow pass.
Their longer thrusting spears and their heavy shields and body armor gave them a distinct advantage over the Persians, who were equipped with shorter javelin-type spears, wicker shields, and armor made only of woven linen.
The third day however, a man named Ephialtes, revealed a path that led the Persians around the mountain towards the back of the defending force. When word reached Leonidas that their position had been compromised, he made a decision that continues to be the subject of immense analysis and debate — rather than abandon their position and withdraw to the south before the Persians arrived, Leonidas let the majority of his army go, while ordering the Spartans, Thespians, and Thebans to remain and fight.
Although there has been much speculation around this decision, most historians agree that Leonidas decided to sacrifice himself and his men in order to give enough time for the rest of the army to flee.
The Greeks died at the battle of Thermopylae. Xerxes, and his army, could now march through Greece and - presumably - defeat all the city-states. But the stories of the defenders' courage at Thermopylae began to quickly spread, positively impacting the morale of other Greeks.
And the delay of battle also achieved what Leonides had hoped it would. The Athenians, for example, had time to flee their city before Xerxes reached it.
You would need to learn its alphabet. Maybe you would learn all about Greek mythology. You might even meet some famous Greek heroes, like Hercules! Well, that is, if Hercules was a real person.
However, one very real warrior was said to be the descendant of the legendary demigod. Who are we talking about? Leonidas, of course! Leonidas was born in the s B. His father was a king, but Leonidas had two older brothers. He was never supposed to take over as ruler. However, fate had other plans. Both of his brothers died, and Leonidas was crowned around B.
Sparta set itself apart from the other Greek city-states in a number of ways. First, it was the largest at about 3, square miles 8, square km. Also, while it was far from an equal society , Spartan women had more rights than those in most other city-states. Finally, Sparta was known all over Greece for its superior military. All Spartan men trained for military service starting at the age of seven.
They lived together with their age groups and trained into adulthood. Spartan warriors were known as highly skilled, fearless fighters. No Spartan fighter is as famous today as Leonidas. He had trained as a soldier just like other Spartan men. He was known as a fierce warrior when he became king. Today, he is most well-known for leading Greek troops in the Battle of Thermopylae. In B. The city-states allied together. They agreed that Leonidas should lead their combined military in defense of their homes.
The oracle at Delphi predicted that Sparta would lose its king in such a war. Still, Leonidas agreed to lead Greek troops against the Persians. The Spartans were joined by a few thousand soldiers from other Greek city-states. In September B. Leonidas achieved lasting fame for his personal sacrifice.
Hero cults were an established custom in ancient Greece from the eighth century B. Dead heroes were worshipped, usually near their burial site, as intermediaries to the gods.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The Battle of Marathon in B. The battle was fought on the Marathon plain of northeastern Attica and marked the first blows of the Greco-Persian War. With the Persians closing in on the Greek capitol, Athenian general Herodotus was a Greek writer and geographer credited with being the first historian.
Sometime around the year B. One of the greatest ancient historians, Thucydides c. The term Ancient, or Archaic, Greece refers to the years B. Archaic Greece saw advances in art, poetry and technology, but is known as the age in which the polis, or city-state, was The two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, went to war with each other from to B.
The Peloponnesian War marked a significant power shift in ancient Greece, favoring Sparta, and also ushered in a period of regional decline that signaled the The classical period was an era of war and conflict—first between the Greeks and the Persians, then between the The story of the Trojan War—the Bronze Age conflict between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece—straddles the history and mythology of ancient Greece and inspired the greatest writers of antiquity, from Homer, Herodotus and Sophocles to Virgil.
Since the 19th-century By turns charismatic and ruthless, brilliant and power hungry, diplomatic and
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