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Nearly 2,500 Years Ago Today King Leonidas and 300 Spartans Died at the Battle of Thermopylae

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THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE was made famous by the film 300 which depicts a small number of Greek forces under the leadership of Leonidas battling against thousands of Persian warriors. While the film is great, there are aspects missing.

Greece High Definition notes that August 7th or 8th, 480B.C.E. was when the battle took place and wrote:

The date of the Battle of Thermopylae is in debate with two dates under contention. The dates in question are either August 7th or September 8th to the 10th of the year 480 BC.

The Battle of Thermopylae, (480 BCE), was a battle in central Greece at the mountain pass of Thermopylae during the Persian Wars. The Greek forces, mostly Spartan, were led by Leonidas. After three days of holding their own against the Persian king Xerxes I and his vast southward-advancing army, the Greeks were betrayed, and the Persians were able to outflank them. Sending the main army in retreat, Leonidas and a small contingent remained behind to resist the advance and were defeated.

Xerxes took advantage of this betrayal and sent part of his army along this path, led by Ephialtes himself. After reaching the other side, the Persians attacked and destroyed a portion of the Greek army. This forced Leonidas to call a war council, at which it was decided that retreating was the best option. However, as the majority of the Greek army retreated, Leonidas, his 300 bodyguards, some helots (people enslaved by the Spartans), and 1,100 Boeotians remained behind, supposedly because retreating would defy Spartan law and custom. They held their ground against the Persians but were quickly defeated by the vast enemy army, and many (if not all; sources differ) were killed, including Leonidas. News of this defeat reached the troops at Artemisium, and Greek forces there retreated as well. The Persian victory at Thermopylae allowed for Xerxes’ passage into southern Greece, which expanded the Persian empire even further.

Today the Battle of Thermopylae is celebrated as an example of heroic persistence against seemingly impossible odds. Soon after the battle, the Greeks built a stone lion in honour of those who had died and specifically for the fallen king Leonidas. In 1955 a statue of Leonidas was erected by King Paul of Greece in commemoration of his and his troops’ bravery. The Battle of Thermopylae also served as the inspiration for the film 300 (2006).

Watch the trailer for the 2006 film 300 adapted from the The Dark Knight Returns‘ author Frank Miller’s graphic novel adapted by director Zach Snyder (Man of Steel, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League).

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