The Battle Of Thermoplyae
The Battle of Thermopylae
The Spartans vs. The Persians
The Battle of Thermopylae started in August of September of 480 BC. The battle lead by King Leonides of Sparta and Xerxes of The Persian empire. The Persians were trying to overtake Greece. In an effort to protect the Greek cities, The Greek Army lead by King Leonides was sent to the Pass of Thermopyle to stop the Persian entry into Greece. King Leonides started his march to Thermopylae with 300 men from the Royal Body Guard. As he passed through the various cities he added to the army and was almost 7,000 strong by the time they reached the Thermopylae pass. King Leonides and his army chose to defend the ‘middle gate’ which is the narrowest part of the pass at Thermopylae. This area of Thermopylae also had a great wall that offered additional protection for this small army. Xerxes and his Persian army had upwards of over 150,000 men. Although some reports estimate this number to be over 1 million men. In an effort to negotiate with King Leonides, Xerxes sent a Persian emissary to negotiate with the King and ask them to lay down their weapons. In exchange for laying down their weapons, they would be granted freedom and relocated to better lands. King Leonides refused this offer. This refusal was taken back to Xerdes and the Persian Army proceeded to attack Sparta on their 5th day at Thermopylae. Xerxes ordered over 5,000 archers to fire arrows at the Greeks. The greeks were wearing protective gear including metal helmets and hand held shields. This gear protected them from the the arrows and very few Spartans were lost in the battle. When this attack didn’t work Xerxes sent 10,000 men known as the Medes, to attack the Spartans and capture them. The Spartans were positioned along the wall, shoulder to shoulder and shield to shield. This method allowed them to defend themselves and not be captured by the Persians. The Medes were no match for the Spartan soldiers. In the next
The Spartans vs. The Persians
The Battle of Thermopylae started in August of September of 480 BC. The battle lead by King Leonides of Sparta and Xerxes of The Persian empire. The Persians were trying to overtake Greece. In an effort to protect the Greek cities, The Greek Army lead by King Leonides was sent to the Pass of Thermopyle to stop the Persian entry into Greece. King Leonides started his march to Thermopylae with 300 men from the Royal Body Guard. As he passed through the various cities he added to the army and was almost 7,000 strong by the time they reached the Thermopylae pass. King Leonides and his army chose to defend the ‘middle gate’ which is the narrowest part of the pass at Thermopylae. This area of Thermopylae also had a great wall that offered additional protection for this small army. Xerxes and his Persian army had upwards of over 150,000 men. Although some reports estimate this number to be over 1 million men. In an effort to negotiate with King Leonides, Xerxes sent a Persian emissary to negotiate with the King and ask them to lay down their weapons. In exchange for laying down their weapons, they would be granted freedom and relocated to better lands. King Leonides refused this offer. This refusal was taken back to Xerdes and the Persian Army proceeded to attack Sparta on their 5th day at Thermopylae. Xerxes ordered over 5,000 archers to fire arrows at the Greeks. The greeks were wearing protective gear including metal helmets and hand held shields. This gear protected them from the the arrows and very few Spartans were lost in the battle. When this attack didn’t work Xerxes sent 10,000 men known as the Medes, to attack the Spartans and capture them. The Spartans were positioned along the wall, shoulder to shoulder and shield to shield. This method allowed them to defend themselves and not be captured by the Persians. The Medes were no match for the Spartan soldiers. In the next