Thermopylae
was
a
pass
the
Greeks
tried
to
defend
in
battle
against
the
Persian
forces
led
by
King
,
in
480
B
.
C
.
The
Greeks
(
Spartans
and
allies
)
knew
they
were
.
They
were
led
by
the
Spartan
King
,
.
The
pass
of
Thermopylae
,
located
150
km
north
of
Athens
was
an
excellent
choice
for
defence
with
steep
mountains
running
down
into
the
sea
leaving
only
a
narrow
marshy
area
along
the
coast
.
Having
somewhere
in
the
region
of
80
,
000
troops
at
his
disposal
,
the
Persian
king
,
who
led
the
invasion
in
person
,
first
waited
four
days
in
expectation
that
the
Greeks
would
in
panic
.
When
the
Greeks
held
their
position
,
Xerxes
once
again
sent
envoys
to
offer
the
defenders
a
last
chance
to
without
bloodshed
if
the
Greeks
would
only
lay
down
their
arms
.
Leonidas'
bullish
response
to
Xerxes
request
was
'mol
?
n
lobe'
or
'come
and
get
them'
and
so
battle
commenced
.
The
Persians
favoured
long
-
range
assault
using
followed
up
with
a
cavalry
charge
,
whilst
the
Greeks
favoured
heavily
-
armoured
hoplites
,
arranged
in
a
densely
packed
formation
called
the
.
The
Persian
forces
also
included
the
Immortals
,
an
elite
force
of
10
,
000
who
were
probably
better
protected
with
armour
and
armed
with
spears
.
The
Persian
cavalry
were
armed
with
a
bow
and
an
additional
two
for
throwing
and
thrusting
.
Although
the
Persian
tactic
of
rapidly
firing
vast
numbers
of
into
the
enemy
must
have
been
an
awesome
sight
,
the
lightness
of
the
arrows
meant
that
they
were
largely
ineffective
against
the
bronze
-
armoured
hoplites
.
On
the
first
day
Xerxes
sent
his
Median
and
Kissian
troops
,
but
they
to
clear
the
pass
.
The
elite
entered
the
battle
but
in
the
brutal
close
-
quarter
fighting
,
the
Greeks
held
firm
.
The
second
day
followed
the
pattern
of
the
first
,
and
the
forces
still
held
the
pass
.
However
,
an
unscrupulous
traitor
was
about
to
tip
the
balance
in
favour
of
the
invaders
.
Ephialtes
,
a
local
shepherd
seeking
reward
from
Xerxes
,
informed
the
Persians
of
an
alternative
route
-
-
the
Anopaia
path
-
-
which
would
allow
them
to
avoid
the
majority
of
the
enemy
forces
and
attack
them
from
.
With
their
position
now
seemingly
hopeless
,
and
before
their
retreat
was
cut
off
completely
,
the
bulk
of
the
Greek
forces
were
ordered
to
by
Leonidas
.
The
Spartan
king
,
on
the
third
day
of
the
battle
,
rallied
his
small
force
and
made
a
rear
-
guard
stand
to
defend
the
in
the
hope
of
delaying
the
Persians
progress
,
in
order
to
allow
the
rest
of
the
Greek
force
to
retreat
or
also
possibly
to
await
relief
from
a
larger
Greek
force
.
Early
in
the
morning
,
the
hoplites
once
more
met
the
enemy
,
but
this
time
Xerxes
could
attack
from
both
front
and
.
Leonidas
moved
his
troops
to
the
widest
part
of
the
pass
to
utilise
all
of
his
men
at
once
,
and
in
the
ensuing
clash
the
Spartan
king
was
.
His
comrades
then
fought
fiercely
to
recover
the
of
the
fallen
king
.
The
remaining
hoplites
,
now
trapped
and
without
their
inspirational
king
,
were
subjected
to
a
barrage
of
Persian
arrows
until
no
man
was
left
.
After
the
battle
,
Xerxes
ordered
that
Leonidas'
be
put
on
a
stake
and
displayed
at
the
battlefield
.
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