Among the great battles that have arisen over time, we can mention one of the most famous battles, the Battle of Thermopylae occurred during the Second Medical War , in which there was an alliance of the polis of Greece. which were led by Sparta (terrestrial means) and by Athens (marine means). These two important groups decided to unite to stop the invasion that was taking place by the Persian Empire of Xerxes I. The battle lasted seven days, three of these days were fights. The place where the battle took place was the passage of Thermopylae or Hot Doors, the exact date is not known for sure, but it is said to have occurred in August or September 480 BC.
- Where it took place : Thermopylae, Greece
- When: 480 BC C.
- Main Cause: Trying to invade Greece via Thermopylae Pass
- Who Won: The Achaemenid Empire
What was the battle of Thermopylae
Battle that occurred approximately 2,500 years ago and had a short duration of only 7 days, of which 3 days were of fighting. The Battle of Thermopylae took place during the Second Medical War , when the polis of Greece led by Sparta and Athens decided to unite to face the invasion of the Persian Empire by Xerxes I.
Who fought in the Battle of Thermopylae?
In the battle of Thermopylae, two large groups faced each other with the aim of repelling the invasion that the Persian Empire of Xerxes I wanted to impose on Greece. The first group was Sparta and they did it by means of land; the second also important group was Athens , and it did so by means of the sea. The Greeks were in charge of stopping the Persian advance, placing their troops in the narrowest part of the gorge. To counteract this invasion, Themistocles , general of Athens, proposed an idea, that the allies of Greece were in charge of blocking the advances of the Persian army through Thermopylae and stopping the Persian army in the strait known as Artemisium.
Background
We must begin by mentioning the Persian king Darío Grande , who died four years after the battle of Marathon, and could not punish the Greeks as he wanted. His main objective was apart from entering Greece, to conquer all of Europe and more. This is why he ordered new taxes to unite and form an army of enormous proportions, the largest in all of history , but while preparing for it, he was surprised by the disease and died.
The entire Spartan society was focused on forming soldiers trained and ready to follow orders firmly, even dying if they had to. The women of the time had the purpose of having children to train soldiers.Summary of the Battle of Thermopylae
Xerxes received information about the possible Spartan invasion but did not worry. He waited four days and then ordered the attack on the fifth day. For their part, the Greeks, formed a great wall of spears and shields around Thermopylae . The Persians failed to pass the wall and Xerxes was not happy with the result. He thought then that the attack would be better during the night. During the second day of fighting, the Persians were killed just like the first day, and Xerxes then asked his commandos of warriors to attack, thus hoping to win. The fighting was enormous and the Greeks increasingly diminished their army in number. The soldiers of Sparta were excellent soldiers, who had been trained since childhood and who were willing to give their lives for Sparta. After a time of fighting, Leonidas the king of Sparta, was assassinated. The men of Sparta protected his body and when they ran out of spears they continued fighting with swords, when the swords ran out they fought with their hands and teeth until the last of the soldiers of Sparta was finished.
Aftermath of the Battle of Thermopylae
The Greeks caused a powerful impact on the enemy troops, ending the lives of the brothers of Xerxes and causing the Persians to lose all kinds of invading force, in such a way that during some battles that occurred after this one, the Persians were easily eliminated thus ending the Persian invasions.
Importance
The Battle of Thermopylae is an icon in Western culture , it appears in numerous writings, poetry, songs, stories, movies, and television. Its didactic use is innumerable as it constantly appears in educational articles. After the battle, the culture of Sparta has become an object of inspiration and emulation worldwide, even creating several monuments in favor of the battle.
Hero of the Battle of Thermopylae
The hero of the battle of Thermopylae was undoubtedly the general of Sparta, Leonidas , who was in charge of defending the passage of Thermopylae until the end. With only 300 men from Sparta, who kept him company to defend his land against the Persian army, who were thousands of men. It helped give the Spartan troops more time to face the Persians.