King leonidas and 300 spartans against million persian army. The plain in the centre of the map is the main battle front, covered in various natural obstacles. Greek casualties in the battle of thermopylae during 3 days could be up to 4000 dead soldiers or perhaps even more. Thermopylae resonates throughout history as a battle involving extreme courage and sacrifice. Click download or read online button to get heroes of battle book now. The battle of thermopylae is arguably the most famous battle before ce, certainly ranking up there with zama during the punic wars 2nd century bce and tours in 732 ce. Heroes of battle download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Nov 22, 2012 the epic speech of dilios, before the battle of plataea, from the film 300. The last stand of the 300 spartans top documentary films.
It was in this rocky pass in northern greece that leonidas, king of the spartans and commanderinchief of the greek force, delayed the persian hordes for three days against overwhelming odds. Sources battle of thermopylae 480 bc stories preschool. How would leonidas command 300 american soldiers in the. Osprey campaign 188 thermopylae 480 bc last stand of.
Leonidas, king of sparta, and the three hundred at the battle of thermopylae, 480 bc. Mar 12, 2019 the battle of thermopylae, fought between the greeks and the persians in 480 bce, has gone down in history as one of the most significant last stands of all time, despite the fact the hero, the greeks, walked away from this battle defeated and on the brink of complete destruction. This would give us 1500 300 x 5 helots at thermopylae, but ive seen estimations which say about 900 helots at thermopylae. The spartan and thespian last stand has been immortalized in the works of herodotus and glorified in the 1962 movie the 300 spartans starring richard egan. In the battle of thermopylae in 480 bc, an alliance of south greek citystates fought the invading persian army in the pass of thermopylae. Battle of thermopylae date, location, and facts britannica. The battle of thermopylae is literally a textbook case, required reading even to this day at military colleges and officer training around the world. The battle was fought for over three days, at the same time as the naval battle of artemisium. One of the alltime great stories of ancient history involved the defense of thermopylae, when a narrow pass was held for three days against a vast persian army by just 300 spartans, 299 of whom perished. Hyper knights battles battle simulator barons brigade if you want to see more you know what to do. The legendary battle at thermopylae offers an unofficial counterpoint to the hollywood blockbuster 300, starring gerard butler and lena headey.
The hero of the battle was undoubtedly the sparta general, leonidas, who was responsible for defending the passage of thermopylae until the end. Dont believe the hype spartans were not known for being particularly inventive or strategically minded. Sin city author frank millers sweeping take on the historic battle of thermopylae comes to the screen courtesy of dawn of the. The engrossing history channel documentary last stand of the 300. Based on frank millers graphic novel, 300 is very loosely based the 480 b. In 279 bc the greeks faced brennus and his gauls there. Learn how a relatively small group of greek warriors held off the persian army for days, during the grecopersian wars, before making one of the greatest last stands and demonstrations of bravery in history. The battle of thermopylae, fought between the greeks and the persians in 480 bce, has gone down in history as one of the most significant last stands of all time, despite the fact the hero, the greeks, walked away from this battle defeated and on the brink of complete destruction. The final track, remember us finally brings to bear the full power of the orchestra and chorus for the heroic 300 spartan warriors. The battle of consisted of an alliance of the greek citystates such as sparta and athens, led by the spartan king leonidas, in attempt to fend off the persian empire that was led by xerxes.
The lone survivor took the story back to his people. You are either defending greece or trying to take over greece. Leonidas, the king of sparta, motivates his warriors to defend the hot gates, thus blocking the invading persian forces of xerxes into the narrow. Jan 24, 2020 legend is one point, hollywood scenarios is another point, but real facts were quite different than both. Given the option by the persian emperor xerxes to live as indentured people under his banner the spartan king leonidas refuses. Its story is based on the famous battle of thermopylae, quote the battle of thermopylae r. In the movie 300, they added this scene of leonidas kicking the messenger, and i thought that would be a great addition to the story. Battle of thermopylae in popular culture wikipedia. Hot gates, the narrow mountain pass closest to the shore and famous for being the spot where 300 spartans made their last stand, is quite risky to take, but would open the backdoor to the heart of enemy territory if you succeed. Retelling the ancient battle of thermopylae, 300 depicts the titanic clash in which king leonidas gerard butler and 300 spartans fought to the death against. Legend is one point, hollywood scenarios is another point, but real facts were quite different than both.
The spartan and thespian last stand has been immortalized in the works of herodotus and glorified in the 1962 movie the 300 spartans starring richard egan, along with many other mediums consisting of. Mar 06, 2007 the final track, remember us finally brings to bear the full power of the orchestra and chorus for the heroic 300 spartan warriors. At thermopylae, king leonidas and his 300 spartans and a few. According to hollywood scenario scribers who do not like the real heroes, the real numbers, plus the real facts, an. The cue begins quietly and then slowly builds into a beautiful piece with layered brass underscored by the chorus. This documentary, like the feature, explores the legendary events that transpired in the year 480 b.
Xerxes is greek for the persian khshayarshan, the kings throne name, which means ruler of heroes. May 23, 2009 as is evident by its title, capstone press 300 heroes concentrates on the spartan warriors who in one of greeces defining moments fought to the death during the battle of thermopylae in 480 b. Herodotus magnificent writing have vividly explained one of the most exceptional battles, in addition to showing the world the incredible greek society, and the ever so. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Thermopylae is primarily known for the battle that took place there in 480 bc, in which an outnumbered greek force probably of seven thousand including the famous 300 spartans, 500 warriors from tegea, 500 from mantinea, 120 from arcadian orchomenos, from the rest of arcadia, 200 from phlius, 80 from mycenae, 400 corinthians, 400 thebans, phocians and the opuntian locrians held off. Terri dougherty describes events before, during, and after the battle of thermopylae, including key players, weapons, and battle tacticsprovided by publisher. Now, the history channel offers a definitive perspective on the epic conflict with this instructive and thrilling featurelength presentation.
The term has been recently used in the feature film 300 and comic of the same name, leonidas can be heard reciting this famous line. Battle of thermopylae facts about one of the most famous battles in world history. Xerxes i makes extensive preparations to invade mainland greece by building depots, canals and a boat bridge across the hellespont. The battle of consisted of an alliance of the greek citystates such as sparta and athens, led by the spartan king leonidas, in attempt to. Oct 04, 2019 the battle of thermopylae is considered to be one of the biggest and most memorable battles in all of ancient history. It comes as no great surprise, therefore, to find that of all the battles in what the. In addition, the battle has been taught in military academies as an example of how a small welltrained group of resolute warriors can defend their position against a.
Battle of thermopylae simple english wikipedia, the free. The battle of thermopylae is considered to be one of the biggest and most memorable battles in all of ancient history. Oct 22, 2019 one of the alltime great stories of ancient history involved the defense of thermopylae, when a narrow pass was held for three days against a vast persian army by just 300 spartans, 299 of whom perished. For centuries, students, scholars, historians and military strategists have studied it, and they continue to do so. Profusely illustrated with maps and images, this book offers an accurate portrayal of the greek warriors commanded by king leonidas of sparta. Battle of thermopylae facts, myths, legends, map, pictures and statistics. The greeks spartans and allies knew they were outnumbered and hadnt a prayer, so it was no surprise that the persians won the battle of thermopylae. Mar 09, 2010 battle of thermopylae facts, myths, legends, map, pictures and statistics. Battle of thermopylae spartans vs persians youtube. Battle of thermopylae 480 bc the battle of thermopylae was fought between an alliance of greek citystates, led by king leonidas of sparta, and the persian empire of xerxes i over the course of three days, during the second persian invasion of greece.
Last stand of the 300 the legendary battle at thermopylae. Pdf thermopylae 480 bc last stand of the 300 nic fields. Dilios narrates how the sacrifice of leonidas and the 300 spartans at the battle of thermopylae inspired all greeks to. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. In the battle of plataea there were 5000 spartan hoplites and they had 35,000 helots 5 per each spartiate. Battle of thermopylae what was, backgrounds, summary.
Battle of thermopylae ancient history encyclopedia. The battle resulted in the death of leonidas, who became a hero for his decision to remain behind and fight to the death. Vastly outnumbered, the greeks delayed the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. Battle in northern greece 480 bc in the persian wars. And he followed in the footsteps of cyrus the great, founder in 550 b. The battle of thermopylae is the war between the greek citystates and the persian empire in about 400 bc. This website is dedicated to king leonidas, the 300 spartans, 700 thespians and other greek warriors who fought to the death during the battle of thermopylae hot gates in august, 480 b. As is evident by its title, capstone press 300 heroes concentrates on the spartan warriors who in one of greeces defining moments fought to the death during the battle of thermopylae in 480 b. If youve seen the movie 300 youll know what im talking about. Battle of thermopylae is a symbol of courage and patriotism.
After three days resisting the much larger persian army of xerxes i, greek forces were betrayed by ephialtes and sent into retreat by their leader, leonidas, who died during a final stand. Permission is granted to copy, distribute andor modify this article under the terms of the gnu free documentation license, version 1. The battle of thermopylae of 480 bce has long been a subject of cultural fascination, as it is. What happened at the thermopylae fight between 300 spartans. Held pass at thermopylae for 3 days with 300 spartans and 700 thespians against the persian army. It has also been the site of several battles in antiquity besides this most famous one. It was fought between an alliance of greek citystates, led by sparta, and the persian empire of xerxes i.
The battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories essay. Battles where 300 spartans are taking on the persians at thermopylae. At thermopylae in the late summer of 480 the spartan king leonidas held out for three days with a mere 300 hoplites against thousands upon thousands of the best of the great kings troops. By and large, the battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories was an extremely notable and remarkable battle for the history of the west, as well as the world. In addition, the battle has been taught in military academies as an example of how a small welltrained group of resolute warriors can defend their position against a numerically superior force. At that time the persian empire was the largest and most powerful the world had ever known. They were joined by other cities, totaling their forces to approximately 7,000.
Battle of thermopylae, where the king of sparta led his army against the advancing persians. King leonidas and his brave 300 spartans fight to the death to protect greece from the persian empire and their leader, king xerxes. The battle of thermopylae has been an integral part of the curriculum of many high schools, colleges and universities around the world. Another common misconception is that there werent just 300 spartans at the battle of thermopylae. He relates the story of 300 spartans and 700 thespians defending the pass of. The battle of thermopylae was fought in central greece at the mountain pass of thermopylae in 480 bce during the persian wars. The battle of thermopylae bloodiest battles terri sievert on. With only 300 spartan men, who kept him company to defend his land against the persian army, who were thousands of men. The battle of thermopylae, 480 bc, was a battle in the second persian invasion of greece. Download heroes of battle or read online books in pdf, epub, tuebl, and mobi format.