The Legendary Battle: The True Story of the 300 Spartans Who Held Thermopylae

The mythical war

The Straits of Thermopylae were held for 3 days by only 300 Spartans against a large Persian army. 299 of them disappeared.

The truth

Although there were 300 Spartans present in the defense of Thermopylae, there were at least 4,000 allies involved in the first two days of the war and another 1,500 troops involved in the last stand. Again a very small number compared to the forces facing them.

Historical background

After raising an enormous army of perhaps 100,000 warriors, King Xerxes of Persia invaded Greece in 480 BC in an attempt to add the country to his empire, which at the time spanned three continents. The Greeks responded with an alliance of their own, telling the Persians to fortify the straits of Thermopylae, which was only 40 miles away. Here the small Greek forces could blockade the Persian army and fleet and at the same time hope to protect Greece itself.

The Spartans, a brutal people with the most military culture in history (a Spartan could only attain manhood by killing a slave), agreed to defend Thermopylae. However, this agreement was reached in the first half of the year 480. The months passed and the Persians continued their advance, but without haste. During this time Xerxes had reached Mount Olympus in the month of August.

This was a bad period for the Spartans. They were tasked with holding the Olympiad and the Carnea festival. For them not to hold either of these two events was as if they had offended the Gods, something the Spartans cared deeply about. A compromise was needed to agree to send the army to war or continue the tradition of the Gods. But in the end, Leonidha along with 300 of his best warriors set out.

But the 300 Spartans would not be the only ones to defend the Straits of Thermopylae. Lacking the large numbers of their own army, troops from other states would join the Spartans. 700 troops came from Thespia, 400 from Thebes. There were nearly 4,300 men who took the pass of Thermopylae.

The Battle of Thermopylae

After the Persians' offer of free passage was rejected by the Greek defenders, the Persian army attacked on the fifth day. For 48 hours, the defenders of Thermopylae stayed at war, and even defeated not only the weak military forces, but also the Persian military elite. Unfortunately for the Greeks, Thermopylae had a secret passageway by which the defending forces could be bypassed. On the sixth day (the second day of fighting), the Persians followed this route and prepared to take the Greeks by surprise.

1500

King Leonidas, the undisputed leader of the Greek defenders, was informed of this event by an informer. Unwilling to sacrifice his entire army, but determined to keep the Spartan promise to defend Thermopylae, he ordered the Greek troops (not the Spartan troops) to withdraw. Many of them listened to the command of the commander, while the troops of Thebes and Thespia decided to stay. When the war started the next day, there were only 1,500 Greek soldiers left, including 298 Spartans (2 of the Spartans had been sent on a mission). They were caught by the main Persian army and 10,000 soldiers from their rear. All were involved in the war and were killed. Only the Thebans survived, having surrendered themselves.

Obviously, this story also contains other myths. Historians say that the Greeks sent a military force of 8 thousand people. While the Spartans only sent 300 of them, not because of the events of Olympia and Carnea, but because they didn't want to go that far north, it seems a little strange that they sent a king along with their 300 warriors.

Moral victory

The glory of the battle of Thermopylae, despite the loss, had a very important moral effect on the outcome of the final attack, as it managed to spread terror in the Persian army and at the same time as a defensive effort it managed to buy precious time so that the war could be won, in the battle of the naval fleets at Salamis.

Leonidas

But we cannot look at Leonidas as a separate personality, but connected to Spartan life and education. So what is it that made Leonidas and the Spartans so special as warriors? Historians tell us that we must look deep into history, and especially the education and training that the Spartans received from the age of 7 until their manhood. The most characteristic expression to express the attitude of the Spartans towards the war, was the expression that the Spartan Mother used to say to her son when he was running away to fight, I tan i epi tas or return with the shield or on it. The mother greeted her son reminding him that his duty was to fight bravely for his country, honoring arms and if necessary dying for it. This famous sentence hides the mentality of a people who remained in history as an example of a simple, complete and honest life, and full of dignity and self-sacrifice. These are the ideals that Leonidha celebrates with this act of self-denial. And Leonidas, as the worthy king of such a people, set the example first.

For Leonidas, as for all Spartans, the greatest virtue was the willingness to sacrifice in the task of protecting and saving their homeland. His attitude before battle and death was analogous to the education and mentality of his people.

Preparation of the Spartans

In the 40 years that the service lasted, the Spartan was not obliged to work, but to prepare daily for war. Since they turned seven years old, they were integrated into groups, where they received the relevant education of Agoggia. When they reached the age of 20, they began their career in the army.

Until the age of 30 they lived in buildings called Andreia or Men's Houses and only after thirty they could sleep in their houses, and that only at night. In everyday life, the king did not enjoy special honors or cares, but only the respect and appreciation of his comrades-in-arms. Even on the battlefield, he lived without luxury and protection, and as far as the moment of war was concerned, he was always the first in the line of warriors.

A traditional custom before battle was to clean their weapons to a shine, groom their bodies and comb their hair. In this way, they showed that they were determined and ready for battle, believing that even before death they had to appear clean and beautiful. Just before the clash, they would make a sacrifice and, accompanied by hymns, begin the battle. The mortuary period of those who fell in battle lasted 11 days, while on the 12th day the death ended. Warriors buried them covered in red cloaks and without any precious objects, thus showing that their most precious thing was their participation in the Spartan army.

Symbolism of Leonidas

Leonidha grew up within a system where individualism is lost before the team and that the part is only necessary and capable when it exists to help the team. Leonidha gave a characteristic answer when asked why the brave prefer a glorious death to an inglorious life.

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