Virtual Tour of Greece: Thermopylae
Destination Five: Thermopylae
The next stop is a visit to Thermopylae, a place of great significance to the Spartans. In 480 B.C., the Persian king Xerxes set out to finish what his father Darius had tried to start: conquering Greece. The Greeks made a stand at the narrow pass of Thermopylae. Xerxes found that the Greeks were not so easily overrun. It was not until a Greek traitor (who remains unknown) informed Xerxes of a hidden path that would lead his army to a position behind the Greeks that the battle turned decidedly in favor of the Persians. However, the Greeks were given advance warning of the Persians’ approach (possibly by Greek slaves who escaped the Persians). It is then said that the Spartans led by King Leonidas dismissed most of their allies, realizing that the situation was hopeless. All of the 300 Spartans (including King Leonidas) remained along with perhaps as many as 2,000 allies who were to fight roughly 200,000 Persians. Although the Greeks were ultimately overrun, Xerxes did not win easily. And though the defeat meant trouble for Greece, Xerxes was ultimately defeated. The 300 Spartans who perished at Thermopylae became symbols of the Spartans’ commitment to their beliefs in standing their ground despite insurmountable odds. It was this example of a "beautiful death" that all Spartans thereafter aspired to. A monument at Thermopylae (which has since disappeared) left this inscription:
Go, stranger, and to the Spartans tell
That here, obedient to their laws, we fell.
|
Monument to Leonidas and the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae |
|
Monument of the Last Stand at Thermopylae; although this monument supposedly sits where the 300 Spartans made their last stand against the Persians, it is more likely that it was one of their allies stationed here. |
|
Artist's rendition of the battle at Thermopylae : note the proximity of the cliffs to the sea. This is what made the Greek allies choose Thermopylae to defend. |
|
