Battle Of Thermopylae Essay

The battle of Thermopylae is without a doubt one of the most important Greek battles in history. The remarkable tale about how 300 Spartans used the geography around them to hold off against a Persian army so big it’s still in dispute over the exact number, still brings the attention of people of people in today’s society. If the Spartans were to surrender or flee, Greece today would be considered Persia.

Background of the war

Greece and Persia grew tension between one another due to different ways of life and different views. Also, Greek cities repelled against the Persian King Darius in the Asia Minor, which was the first Persian invasion of Greece. This invasion was later called the battle of Marathon, the battle was between the city of Athens, and of course Persia, the battle ended with Athens taking victory of the Persian Army, and led to the death of King Darius. The death of the Persian king Darius gave rule to his son Xerxes. This victory of the first Persia had an effect on the second invasion (The battle of Thermopylae) because not only did it cause Xerxes to delay the next attack

because his forces were weak after the first invasion, but also it made Xerxes amass an army so big over the course of the next four years, his next plans were to take all of Greece.
At the beginning of the second Persian invasion, all of Greece was in terror because they heard news of the army Xerxes amassed. King Leonidas took 300 of his Spartans and an assumed number of five to six thousand other Greek soldiers to the “Hot Gates,” which was the pass of Thermopylae. Thermopylae was a narrow road about 4 miles long that only goes north and south, which is why King Leonidas decided to defend at that the location because it was assumed to be one way.
When the Greeks arrived to aid the Spartans, they discovered the hidden weakness of the trail they were defending. While they informed King Leonidas of this hidden pathway, he ordered some of his troops to defend the pathway making the army in total itself smaller. The soldiers ordered to defend this pathway were faced with a difficult order, due to that the pathway had no defense as did the “Hot Gates” the rest of the Spartan-Greek army were making a stand at.
What happened during the war?
Over the course of several days, there was a sort of peace. As the Spartan-Greek army waited for the Persian attack, Xerxes sent his best scout to gain Intel of the Greek position and how they were preparing for battle. The scout returned with the news that not only were the Greek just exercising, but combing their hair too. Before Xerxes ordered the attack he sent a herald, to offer a deal with the Spartan-Greek army to surrender defending the pass, and to be completely unharmed allies of Xerxes, and in return they shall not see the face of defeat. Leonidas refused which lead Xerxes to order the attack against the Spartan-Greek army.
The beginning of the battle was in favor of the Spartan-Greek army, the narrow path of the “Hot Gates” helped the soldiers hold their position against the hordes of Xerxes’ army. Heavy storms brewed and destroyed Persian buildings such as bridges, buildings, etc. After the Spartan-Greek army defeated the first two waves of the Persian army Xerxes commanded, The Medes and Cissians, The Great King ordered the attack of his superior army “The Immortals.” The Immortals were not a feared army that had great military tactics or armor, but they were feared in the fact that there was so many of them, that when one soldier died, two would take the place.
The Betrayal
No matter the numbers of the “Immortal” army, the Spartan-Greek army held off their numbers.

After the Spartan-Army defeated the waves of Persians Xerxes ordered to attack them, Xerxes realizes the mistake he made by not anticipating the tactical advantage Leonidas and his army had, no matter the number of the army he amassed the past four years prior to the attack. As he comes to this realization, a Greek by the name of Ephialtes, informs Xerxes of the hidden path that leads behind the position of the Spartan-Greek army. Xerxes takes this knowledge and sends a portion of what is left of his “Immortal” army down the hidden path at night to flank Leonidas and his army. No one knows today what exact path the “immortal” soldiers took to flank Leonidas, but when the Persians finally reached their position they defeated the soldiers Leonidas earlier ordered to guard the

trail.
While attacking some of the Spartan-Greek army, some fled to inform Leonidas of the flank. Leonidas made the decision to stay and fight the Persians in a last stand, and gave a chance to anyone who wanted to flee the battle to do so, while him and the rest of his Spartans stayed and fought until their inevitable defeat. Even though Leonidas and his soldiers had the odds against them they held the Persians off until they’re weapons broke, and then the soldiers fought with their hands and teeth.
The After math
After the Spartans and the rest of the Greek soldiers were defeated by the great numbers of the Persian army, the dead bodies on the battlefield were considered to be too many to count. Xerxes ordered the head of Leonidas to be cut off and the rest of the Greek soldiers to be buried. Xerxes took special precautions to keep the fact that so little amount of soldiers did so much damage against his army. Xerxes did this by arranging secret burnings of the bodies of his own soldiers so no one could count them, and is also the reason he ordered the burial or the Greek soldiers.
The battle of Thermopylae played a huge part in the battles to befall, not only did Leonidas and his army do an almost unmeasurable amount of damage to the invading Persian army, but they gave a sort of confidence to the Greek cities. As stated before, when the second Persian invasion of Greece was about to start the Greek cities were terrified by the news of the size of Xerxes army, by the time the battle was over the Greek cities took the confidence and the knowledge of Leonidas’ military tactics and knew they win against the Persians. This led to the Final Greek victory at Plataeu. Greek soldiers killed 50,000 Persians