The Battle Of Thermopylae
Created | Updated Sep 10, 2003
The battle for thermoplyae took place during the second persian invasion of greece. Xerxes, king of persian, had gathered an army more then a hundred thousand strong, to invade greece and to do which his father could not do in the first invasion.
Thermoplyae is a narrow valley next to the sea and was a perfect landing site. To avoid it would mean a serious detour for the persian army. Conversely, the narrow valley could be defended by relatively few troops, and a small fort had once been built there but which was now partially ruined. Xerxes, confident with the sheer number of troops at his dispossal, landed at thermoplyae.
The greek force, commanded by the spartan general Leonadis, and his vanguard of 300 spartans, rebuilt the walls at Thermoplyae and prepared to defend it. They were ready to lay down there lives to give the atheanians time to build there navy to full strength and then cut off the persian force from there supply lines, effectively starving the army.
When Xerxes sent his scouts out to observe the force he couldn't beleive that they were preparing for battle against his force, which was many times the size of the small greek force. He waited for four days and repeatedly requested that the greeks surrender to his superior force. The greeks refused.
On the fifth day Xerxes couldn't afford to keep his army stationary any longer. He sent forward the Medians (a tribal like force, hailing from a region close to the Babylonian empire). The greek force came out to meet them, when the Medes charged spartans they appeared to retreat, drawing the Medes deeper into the valley. As the Medes broke ranks to chase down the spartans, the greeks rallied and feircely stood there ground to the Medes, beating them and forcing a retreat.
Shocked by the defeat, Xerxes sent in his immortals. The immortals were the best troops in the whole of persia, and formed part of xerxes bodyguard. Confident of victory, Xerxes order there full attack and too late realised his error. Leonidas, confident of the abilites of his Spartans and the over confidence of his persian conter-part, ordered the same tactics be used again. Again the spartans fled, again the immortals broke ranks, and again the Spartans reformed and beat there opponents.
The sixth day of fighting went no better for the persians. The sea battle against the athenians went much better, with the persians utterly defeating them. The Spartans were now holding out only to delay the inevitable and unavoidable invasion of Greece.
It was now however that the heroic deeds and sacrifices of the greek force were to be undone. A man named Ephialtes, a greek from the city of Malis, went to the Persian king and told him of a route around the passage. This would allow the king to go past the greek force and even surround it. The greek force knew of paths up the mountain and had posted troops on the most likely. But the persians, under cover of night, slipped by using a different route.
The greeks learned of the betrayal in the early morning. Leonidas orders all the other greek troops to retreat, using his spartans to form a last stand rearguard action. The Thespians and Thebans join Leonidas in his last stand. In total less then a thousand troops stayed behind. However, like any soldier surrounded and about to die they fought all the more feircely. The Spartans themselves set up position on a hill, facing outwards with enemies all round them. Leonidas was killed during the battle, away from the main Spartan formation. When he fell, a group of spartans fought there way out of the defensive circle and to his body, retreiving it, and then returning to there defensive position. Total surrounded now, and with the rest of the troops annhilated, only the spartans remained, a seemingly indestructable force. Xerxes was furious at his troops inability to kill them. The persians had lost all heart for the fight, realising the spartans to be superiour fighters and fearsome warriors. Xerxes ordered the Spartans killed so the persian army wiped them out using arrows, spears and other ranged weapons, fearing to close in with the mighty spartans.
The Spartans were wiped out, but there bravery, strength and tactical brilliance gained the greeks an extra week to prepare for the persian invasion. The persians on the other hand, had been demorilised by the battle, knowing that they had been repelled time and time again by a small group of Spartans.
Thermoplyae is a narrow valley next to the sea and was a perfect landing site. To avoid it would mean a serious detour for the persian army. Conversely, the narrow valley could be defended by relatively few troops, and a small fort had once been built there but which was now partially ruined. Xerxes, confident with the sheer number of troops at his dispossal, landed at thermoplyae.
The greek force, commanded by the spartan general Leonadis, and his vanguard of 300 spartans, rebuilt the walls at Thermoplyae and prepared to defend it. They were ready to lay down there lives to give the atheanians time to build there navy to full strength and then cut off the persian force from there supply lines, effectively starving the army.
When Xerxes sent his scouts out to observe the force he couldn't beleive that they were preparing for battle against his force, which was many times the size of the small greek force. He waited for four days and repeatedly requested that the greeks surrender to his superior force. The greeks refused.
On the fifth day Xerxes couldn't afford to keep his army stationary any longer. He sent forward the Medians (a tribal like force, hailing from a region close to the Babylonian empire). The greek force came out to meet them, when the Medes charged spartans they appeared to retreat, drawing the Medes deeper into the valley. As the Medes broke ranks to chase down the spartans, the greeks rallied and feircely stood there ground to the Medes, beating them and forcing a retreat.
Shocked by the defeat, Xerxes sent in his immortals. The immortals were the best troops in the whole of persia, and formed part of xerxes bodyguard. Confident of victory, Xerxes order there full attack and too late realised his error. Leonidas, confident of the abilites of his Spartans and the over confidence of his persian conter-part, ordered the same tactics be used again. Again the spartans fled, again the immortals broke ranks, and again the Spartans reformed and beat there opponents.
The sixth day of fighting went no better for the persians. The sea battle against the athenians went much better, with the persians utterly defeating them. The Spartans were now holding out only to delay the inevitable and unavoidable invasion of Greece.
It was now however that the heroic deeds and sacrifices of the greek force were to be undone. A man named Ephialtes, a greek from the city of Malis, went to the Persian king and told him of a route around the passage. This would allow the king to go past the greek force and even surround it. The greek force knew of paths up the mountain and had posted troops on the most likely. But the persians, under cover of night, slipped by using a different route.
The greeks learned of the betrayal in the early morning. Leonidas orders all the other greek troops to retreat, using his spartans to form a last stand rearguard action. The Thespians and Thebans join Leonidas in his last stand. In total less then a thousand troops stayed behind. However, like any soldier surrounded and about to die they fought all the more feircely. The Spartans themselves set up position on a hill, facing outwards with enemies all round them. Leonidas was killed during the battle, away from the main Spartan formation. When he fell, a group of spartans fought there way out of the defensive circle and to his body, retreiving it, and then returning to there defensive position. Total surrounded now, and with the rest of the troops annhilated, only the spartans remained, a seemingly indestructable force. Xerxes was furious at his troops inability to kill them. The persians had lost all heart for the fight, realising the spartans to be superiour fighters and fearsome warriors. Xerxes ordered the Spartans killed so the persian army wiped them out using arrows, spears and other ranged weapons, fearing to close in with the mighty spartans.
The Spartans were wiped out, but there bravery, strength and tactical brilliance gained the greeks an extra week to prepare for the persian invasion. The persians on the other hand, had been demorilised by the battle, knowing that they had been repelled time and time again by a small group of Spartans.
