The Battle of Thermopylae The battle of Thermopylae was the first battle between the Greeks and the Persians during the Greek and Persian war of 480 BC and 479 BC. The Greek force was dwarfed in comparison to the massive Persian army but they were devoted to protecting their homeland. The Greeks were very afraid of the Persian and Thessalian armies. Greece fought amongst itself for a while because no one could decide what to do about the massive armies that were coming their way. Eventually, the Greek cities voted that Sparta should lead the Greek army because of its uncontested reputation during wartime. The Spartans elected to defend Greece from the North, on a mountain pass called Thermopylae. The Greek soldiers only numbered about 6,500
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They had fought for days and lost thousands of men but had not made any progress in their invasion. The Persian king brought out a prisoner (or it was a traitor who came on his own free will, the story is disputed) who was tortured and asked for information regarding the battle. The prisoner (or traitor) told the Persians about a small trail above Thermopylae that only the local farmers knew about. It would allow the Persians to sneak up on the Greeks from behind and corner them in the pass of Thermopylae. Sometime during the night, the Kings Guard (the Persian kings elite soldiers) followed the secret pass and ambushed the Greeks. Leonidas, the Spartan king, decided that he and his Spartans would fight until the end to allow the other Greeks to escape. When the Greeks had escaped, the Spartans knew this would be their last battle. Their weapons were in ruin, they were tired, hungry, and wounded, but they still fought on. The fighting got so savage at one time that the Spartans used their hands, teeth, sticks, and rocks to fight back the Persians. Eventually, the Spartan were backed into a corner and shot with volley upon volley of arrows until they all died. Even though the Spartans died, their deaths inspired the other Greeks to fight for
They had fought for days and lost thousands of men but had not made any progress in their invasion. The Persian king brought out a prisoner (or it was a traitor who came on his own free will, the story is disputed) who was tortured and asked for information regarding the battle. The prisoner (or traitor) told the Persians about a small trail above Thermopylae that only the local farmers knew about. It would allow the Persians to sneak up on the Greeks from behind and corner them in the pass of Thermopylae. Sometime during the night, the Kings Guard (the Persian kings elite soldiers) followed the secret pass and ambushed the Greeks. Leonidas, the Spartan king, decided that he and his Spartans would fight until the end to allow the other Greeks to escape. When the Greeks had escaped, the Spartans knew this would be their last battle. Their weapons were in ruin, they were tired, hungry, and wounded, but they still fought on. The fighting got so savage at one time that the Spartans used their hands, teeth, sticks, and rocks to fight back the Persians. Eventually, the Spartan were backed into a corner and shot with volley upon volley of arrows until they all died. Even though the Spartans died, their deaths inspired the other Greeks to fight for