Leonidas Falls at Thermopylae: Sparta's Last Stand
King Leonidas of Sparta led a force of roughly 7,000 Greeks, including his personal guard of 300 Spartans, to block the Persian army of Xerxes I at the narrow coastal pass of Thermopylae in 480 BC. For two days, the Greeks held the pass against overwhelming numbers by exploiting the terrain. When a local traitor named Ephialtes revealed a mountain path that allowed the Persians to outflank the position, Leonidas dismissed most of the Greek army and fought a last stand with his 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, and 400 Thebans. They were annihilated. The three-day delay allowed the Greek fleet to organize at Salamis, where it destroyed the Persian navy and saved Greek civilization from conquest.
August 11, 480 BC
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