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  1. The Battle of Thermopylae ( / θərˈmɒpɪliː / thər-MOP-i-lee; Greek: Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, Máchē tōn Thermopylōn) Persian: نبرد ترموپیل, Nabard-e Termopil) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I ...

    • Mark Cartwright
    • Context: The Persian Wars. By the first years of the 5th century BCE, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, under the rule of Darius I (r. 522-486 BCE), was already expanding into mainland Europe and had subjugated Thrace and Macedonia.
    • The Pass of Thermopylae. When news of the invading force reached Greece, the initial Greek reaction was to send a force of 10,000 hoplites to hold position at the valley of Tempē near Mt.
    • Hoplites vs Archers. The two opposing armies were essentially representative of the two approaches to Classical warfare - Persian warfare favoured long-range assault using archers followed up with a cavalry charge, whilst the Greeks favoured heavily-armoured hoplites, arranged in a densely packed formation called the phalanx, with each man carrying a heavy round bronze shield and fighting at close quarters using spears and swords.
    • Battle. On the first day, Xerxes sent his Median and Kissian troops, and after their failure to clear the pass, the elite Immortals entered the battle but in the brutal close-quarter fighting, the Greeks held firm.
  2. In 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta faced an enormous invading Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae. The Persians, led by King Xerxes, had a numerical advantage of over 10:1 and expected an easy victory.

  3. Mar 12, 2019 · Learn about the famous last stand of 300 Spartans and their allies against the Persian army in 480 BCE. Discover the background, events and consequences of the Greco-Persian Wars and the Battle of Thermopylae.

  4. Jun 12, 2006 · Learn about the epic clash between the Persian empire and the city-states of Greece in the 5th century bc, and the role of the legendary Spartan king Leonidas and his 300 warriors. Explore the historical background, the course of the battle, and the legacy of Thermopylae in Western culture.

  5. The Battle of Thermopylae was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting over the course of three days, it was one of the most prominent battles of both the second Persian invasion of Greece and the wider Greco-Persian Wars.