Thermopylae: Story Of The Greeks Fighting The Persians

Thermopylae is the story of the Greeks fighting the Persians. The saga begins with the Persian army advancing close to the Greeks territory. Fearing the worst, the Greeks hold a conference to discuss their options. Interestingly, some of the Greeks where adamant about holding their ground rather than retreating despite the foes they faced. Around the time of the conference, a Persian spy lurked in the distance. Watching the Greeks, the spy looked with astonishment at what lay before him. The first thing he noted was the Greek where Spartans who trained as if they were fighting their last battle. The spy returned to his camp describing in detail to his superior, Xerxes, about what he saw. Troubled by the news of the Spartans’ military prowess, Xerxes sent for …show more content…
Xerxes scoffed at the claim due to the small numbers of the Spartan troops, and he was baffled by the declaration that the Spartans could rival the Persian troops. Demaratus, however, warned Xerxes not to underestimate the ferocity of the Spartans. For four days, Xerxes held his army back expecting a speedy retreat from the Greek contingency. But by the fifth day, the Greeks remained--filling the Persian leader with rage. Thus, the Persians begin their assault which failed to remove the Greeks. For three days, the Persians repeatedly waged assault after assault, and yet the Greeks, bolstered by the Spartans remained unmoved. After suffering thousands of casualties, Xerxes retreated to devise a plan. Fortunately for Xerxes, Ephialtes (a man from a Greek tribe who was seeking financial gain) approached him with information on defeating the Greeks. There was a mountain pass leading to Thermopylae that also had also minimal military protection. The Persians stormed the pass and men guarding the pass began to panic. There was