What is the Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC?
Thermopyle is a mountain range located near the sea in Northern Greece. This mountain pass had been the battleground of several antique wars in history. The Battle of Thermopylae was fought in this site between an alliance of ancient Greek city-states and the Achaemenid Empire of Xerxes I. The battle was fought three times throughout the year. The dates were 21 to 23 July or 20th August or 8 to 10 September in 480 BC. The result of the battle was Persian victory. As a result, Persians gained control of Boeotia, Phocis, and Attica. Around 377000 soldiers fought this battle. In this article, we are going to discuss the history of this battle in detail.
Thermopylae Greek History
The Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC is famous for sacrifice, bravery, and patriotism. The history of this battle comes to us from a few ancient historians. We can know the details of the battle properly from the Greek historian Herodotus. According to him, the reason for this word in the first place was the failure of the first Greco-Persian war. A decade earlier, that war ended in the Persian defeat at the battle of the Marathon.
There were several significant reasons for this battle. The Persians were disappointed about how the Greeks supported the Lonian revolt. The newly crowned Persian ruler, Xerxes I, restarted the issues between the Persians and the Greeks where his father had left off. To conquer the Greek city-states, the Persians assembled a massive army from all over the country. The Persian army strength was around 3,00,000. The Persians prepared to defeat the Greeks in the battle for four years.
The Persian Preparation
The Persians started their preparation 4 years before the Battle of Thermopylae. They prepared their horses for the battle along with the massive army. Xerxes prepared a huge canal dug for the ships. They made a huge bridge made of boats lashed together to separate Europe and Asia. After completing the preparation, the Persians started their long march from Turkey. Also, the Persian Navy was set for Greece.
The Greek Preparation
When the Persians were preparing for the battle, the Greeks were keeping an eye on them. They prepared their army from the Greek city-states. Athens and Sparta were chief among them. Though they were preparing for the battle, they knew they had a few chances of winning in front of the massive Persian army. Hope for the Greeks was the territorial advantage of the Thermopylae pass.
(Image will be Updated soon)
The Battleground Of Thermopylae
The Persians waited in the battleground for 4 days after arriving. During that time, Xerxesis sent an ambassador asking the Greeks to surrender and retreat peacefully. Leonidas the night the proposal of settlement, and took the proposal of war. On 21st July, the Persians attacked the Greeks with a wave of soldiers. Though the Greeks repulsed the first attack, they could not stand up in front of ‘Immortals’ (the Persian group of finest warriors).
Despite the massive attack of the Persians, the Greeks stood up three times throughout the battle. The superior armor and long spears combined with the military tactics of the Persians were tough to defeat for the Greeks. But the Greek soldiers showed their bravery and heroism in the battleground.
In the first phase of the war, Greece lost many soldiers. Their army strength was too weak compared to the Persians. Moreover, a local Greece shepherd helped the Persians with territorial tactics hoping for a reward. Xerxes attacked the Greeks in the early morning. Though the Greeks defended the attack perfectly, it broke them down to some extent. It was one of the lowest times for the Greeks in the battle. The Persians used to attack from behind and fail in multitudes in the entire battle. After a time, the army strength of the Greeks was almost zero and they had to surrender. The Persians defeated the Greeks in the Battle of Thermopylae. But the war is remembered for the sacrifice, heroism, and bravery of the Greeks.
Battle Of Thermopylae Facts
Now we will mention some vital facts about the battle.
300 Spartan soldiers fought the battle. That is why this war is also known as the 300 Battle of Thermopylae.
The battle is remembered for the bravery and heroism of the Greek soldiers.
Another crucial thing about the battle is the army tactics and war strategy of the Persians, which is famous in history.
It was not the last Greco-Persian battle. The result of this battle initialized several battles in the future among the Greeks and the Persians.
FAQs on Battle of Thermopylae Greek History 480 BC
1. What was the reason for the Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC?
According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the reason for this word in the first place was the failure of the first Greco-Persian war. A decade earlier, that war ended in the Persian defeat at the battle of the Marathon. There were several significant reasons for this battle. The Persians were disappointed about how the Greeks supported the Lonian revolt. The newly crowned Persian ruler, Xerxes I, restarted the issues between the Persians and the Greeks where his father had left off. These were the main reasons for the Battle of Thermopylae. The Persians attacked the Greeks in this war with massive army strength and won the battle.
2. Describe the Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC in brief.
The Persians started their preparation four years before the Battle of Thermopylae. They waited in the battleground for 4 days after arriving. During that time, Xerxes sent an ambassador asking the Greeks to surrender and retreat peacefully. Leonidas the night the proposal of settlement, and took the proposal of war. The battle was fought on 21 to 23 July or 20th August or 8 to 10 September in 480 BC. In the entire battle, the Persians attacked and broke down the Greeks several times. Also, the Greek soldiers repulsed the attacks. But in the end, the Greek army strength was too less that they had to surrender. The Persians won the battle and gained control of Boeotia, Attica, and Phocis.
