To Sparta say, her faithful band, Stranger, report this word, we pray, to the Spartans, that lying. Either your glorious town shall be sacked by the children of Perseus, [78] The Persians, therefore, had to retreat or advance, and advancing required forcing the pass of Thermopylae. SourceThe Greek alliance originally wanted to confront the Persians in Thessaly, the region just to the south of Macedon, at the Vale of Tempe. [60] With the Persian emissary returning empty-handed, battle became inevitable. Responding, an alliance of Greek city-states, led by Athens and Sparta, assembled a fleet and an army to oppose the invaders. The battle was fought for over three days, at the same time as the naval Battle of Artemisium on 20 August or 8–10 September, 480 BC. If they had all remained at the pass, they would have been encircled and would eventually have all been killed. This quiz is incomplete! [121] A full 40 years after the battle, Leonidas' bones were returned to Sparta, where he was buried again with full honours; funeral games were held every year in his memory. Albeit, the movie does have a lot of truth to it, it also has many fallacies. The Geographical Analysis of the Battle of Thermopylae and how it Affected the Outcome The Spartans at Thermopylae held the advantage due to the massive bluffs on either side of the pass. Not only that, but they also held the advantage militarily as the Spartans were trained form a very young age to fight as soldiers, while the Persians did not train as soldiers until well into their adult years. Delete Quiz. A well-known epigram, usually attributed to Simonides, was engraved as an epitaph on a commemorative stone placed on top of the burial mound of the Spartans at Thermopylae. What did the Persians do after The Battle of Thermopylae? Leonidas, aware that his force was being outflanked, dismissed the bulk of the Greek army and remained to guard their retreat with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians. [71] The original stone has not survived, but in 1955, the epitaph was engraved on a new stone. In fact, in many corners of popular culture, the encounter is often depicted as 300 Spartans (aided by their rag-tag group of allies) versus over a million Persians. Greco-Persian Wars, also called Persian Wars, (492–449 bce), a series of wars fought by Greek states and Persia over a period of almost half a century. First, he ordered 5,000 archers to shoot a barrage of arrows, but they were ineffective; they shot from at least 100 yards away, according to modern day scholars, and the Greeks' wooden shields (sometimes covered with a very thin layer of bronze) and bronze helmets deflected the arrows. [137] Furthermore, this idea also neglects the fact that a Greek navy was fighting at Artemisium during the Battle of Thermopylae, incurring losses in the process. Having been turned back by the Greeks in 490 BC at the Battle of Marathon, the Persians elected to begin preparing a larger expedition to subjugate Greece. P.A. The first line of the epigram was used as the title of the short story "Stranger, Bear Word to the Spartans We…" by German Nobel Prize laureate Heinrich Böll. The odds were in favor of the Persians in this battle… [131], Thermopylae is arguably the most famous battle in European ancient history, repeatedly referenced in ancient, recent, and contemporary culture. Although the Greeks finally beat the Persians in the Battle of Platea in 479 B.C., thus ending the Greco-Persian Wars, many scholars attribute the eventual Greek success over the Persians to the Spartans’ defense at Thermopylae. Casualties for the Battle of Thermopylae are not known with any certainty, but may have been as high as 20,000 for the Persians and around 2,000-4,000 for the Greeks. It was fought over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. Both ancient and modern writers have used the Battle of Thermopylae as an example of the power of a patriotic army of freemen defending native soil. In August, word reached the Greeks that the Persian army was nearing. Though the de facto leaders of the alliance, the Spartans were prohibited from engaging in military activity during these celebrations. Herodotus says they jumped up and were greatly amazed. [38], The Athenians had also been preparing for war with the Persians since the mid-480s BC, and in 482 BC the decision was taken, under the guidance of the Athenian politician Themistocles, to build a massive fleet of triremes that would be essential for the Greeks to fight the Persians. [168] While this anniversary will take place in 2021, the coins show the dates 2020 and 480 BC and the text "2,500 years since the Battle of Thermopylae. [123] Meanwhile, the Greeks (for the most part Peloponnesians) preparing to defend the Isthmus of Corinth, demolished the single road that led through it and built a wall across it. [29] Having had a demonstration of his power the previous year, the majority of Greek cities duly obliged. A congress of city-states met at Corinth in late autumn of 481 BC,[41] and a confederate alliance of Greek city-states was formed. [106] Upon discovering that his army had been encircled, Leonidas told his allies that they could leave if they wanted to. Behind them lay everything they held dear: their city, their homes, their families. Since Athens had the superior navy, all of the city-states paid taxes to Athens to build up their navy, so if Persia was ever to return, Athens would have a great navy and beat them. The monument is made of marble and features a bronze statue depicting the god Eros, to whom the ancient Thespians accorded particular religious veneration. While the bulk of the Greek army retreated, a force of 300 Spartans led by Leonidas I as well as 400 Thebans and 700 Thespians remained to cover the withdrawal. As the Persians kept coming, Leonidas rotated units through the front to prevent fatigue. sent an army to punish them. Both ancient and modern writers have used the Battle of Thermopylae as an example of the power of a patriotic army defending its native soil. [115] Of the remaining defenders, Herodotus says: "Here they defended themselves to the last, those who still had swords using them, and the others resisting with their hands and teeth. However, a glance at any photograph of the pass shows there are no cliffs, only steep slopes covered in thorny bushes and trees. [77] As long as they could prevent a further Persian advance into Greece, they had no need to seek a decisive battle and could, thus, remain on the defensive. [96] The weaker shields, and shorter spears and swords of the Persians prevented them from effectively engaging the Greek hoplites. It was held at the narrow coastal pass of Thermopylae ("The Hot Gates") in August or September 480 BC. [19] In fact, Herodotus' account of the battle, in Book VII of his Histories, is such an important source that Paul Cartledge wrote: "we either write a history of Thermopylae with [Herodotus], or not at all". [67] Themistocles was in command of the Greek Navy at Artemisium when he received news that the Persians had taken the pass at Thermopylae. . Herodotus suggests they were brought to the battle as hostages to ensure the good behavior of Thebes. On the morning of September 17, 490 bc, some 10,000 Greeks stood assembled on the plain of Marathon, preparing to fight to the last man. 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