Thermopylae, Battle of (480 BCE )

Abstract The Battle of Thermopylae took place during the Greco‐Persian Wars (498–448), and specifically during the invasion of the Greek mainland by the Persian Great King, Xerxes I (519–465). The battle was fought between a small army of Greek soldiers, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, who failed to hold the Pass of Thermopylae against the far larger Persian army. This defeat allowed the Persian army to march on into the heart of Greece and burn Athens to the ground, though the Greeks were eventually able to repel the Persian invasion following victories in the naval battle of Salamis (480) and the land battle of Plataea (479). It is one of the most famous encounters in all of history, achieving a reputation and renown far out of proportion to its tactical or strategic significance. The three hundred Spartans who fought to the death against the oncoming Persian army became legendary figures almost at once. The heroism of their last stand, and perhaps as importantly the anecdotes associated with their somewhat futile self‐sacrifice, made a significant contribution to the enduring image of the Spartans as red‐cloaked super‐soldiers. It was an image that was consciously perpetuated almost immediately after Thermopylae, not least by the Spartans themselves.