Modern estimates, however, suggest that the Greek forces numbered at around 20,000, which included the helots, retainers, and auxiliaries. Herodotus gives the actual number of Peloponnesians at the battle alone as 3,100 or 4,000, and a grand total of over 5,000 Greeks. One has to bear in mind that the Spartans had other Greek allies with them, including the Thespians, Thebans, soldiers from Mycenae, and other Greek states. The narrowness of the pass negated the advantage the Persians had in numbers.Īlthough the 300 Spartans were the most famous combatants on the Greek side, they were not the only Greeks present at the battle. This was a strategic move on the part of the Greeks. It took place in a narrow pass between the mountains of central Greece and the sea, called Thermopylae. Most people are aware that the leader of the Greeks during the battle was Leonidas of Sparta. However, the film has more fantasy than history in it. Zack Snyder’s 2007 fantasy historical film, 300, has probably made the Battle of Thermopylae one of the most famous battles of the ancient world. Its fame is derived from being one of the most courageous last stands by the vastly outnumbered defending army of Greek city states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, against the invading Persians under King Xerxes. Unlike other battles, however, it was not a victory for the Greeks, but a defeat. The Battle of Thermopylae is the most famous battle of the Second Persian Invasion of Greece and one of the most famous battles in European ancient history. In late August or early September of 480 BC, Xerxes launched his offensive upon Greece in what is now known as the Battle of Thermopylae. Determined to avenge his father’s defeat, Xerxes began to muster forces to once again invade Greece.īy 480 BC, Xerxes had built up an enormous army of some 150,000 men and a navy of 600 ships. He was now ready. The threat of another Persian invasion threw the Greek states into alliance though many were still technically at war with each other.ĭarius was unable to launch an offensive in Greece immediately because of rebellions in other sectors of his empire, and in 486 BC, while he was quelling these, he was killed in battle. The invasion ended with the decisive Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, but it was not long before Darius began raising a huge new army with which he intended to return with full force. Several years earlier, the Persians under King Darius I had invaded Greece, primarily in order to punish the city-states of Athens and Eretria, who had supported the cities of Ionia during their revolt against Persian rule. The new king Leonidas did not have an easy task ahead of him. (Praxinoa/ CC BY SA 3.0 ) The Spartan King Faces Persian Invasions What Went Wrong? The Real Story of the Battle of Thermopylae.The Sacred Omphalos Stone, Navel of the World and Communicator of the Gods.Moreover, Leonidas had married Cleomenes’ daughter, Gorgo. This meant that Leonidas was the eldest surviving son of Alexandridas, and he was the best person to succeed his bother. Additionally, Dorieus lost his life on an expedition in Sicily. The new king, however, died without a male heir. Upon the death of Alexandridas, the Spartan throne went to Cleomenes. As the third son of Alexandridas, Leonidas’ chances of obtaining the throne were rather slim, and he had no designs on the kingship. Leonidas’ ascension to the throne of Sparta in 489 BC was, as described by Herodotus, ‘a result of an unforeseeable situation’. Soon after this, Alexandridas’ first wife bore a son as well, Dorieus, who was Leonidas’ elder brother.Īfter Dorieus was born, the king’s first wife was pregnant with Leonidas, and he was followed by Cleombrotus although Herodotus suggests that there was an account stating that Leonidas and Cleombrotus were twins. Leonidas, however, was not the first child, as his father’s second wife bore a son, Cleomenes. Yet, how much do we actually know about King Leonidas, and what happened with ‘the 300’ during the Battle of Thermopylae ? Who was King Leonidas?Īccording to ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Leonidas was the son of King Alexandridas and his first wife, an unnamed woman who was also the king’s niece.
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