History - The Battle of Thermopylae: A Captivating Guide to One of the Greatest Battles in Ancient History Between the Spartans and Persians

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the author. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

Disclaimer: No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or transmitted by email without permission in writing from the publisher.

While all attempts have been made to verify the information provided in this publication, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretations of the subject matter herein.

This book is for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed are those of the author alone, and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands. The reader is responsible for his or her own actions.

Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, including international, federal, state and local laws governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising and all other aspects of doing business in the US, Canada, UK or any other jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the purchaser or reader.

Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of the purchaser or reader of these materials. Any perceived slight of any individual or organization is purely unintentional.

Table of Contents

Hi History Lovers!

My name is Matt Clayton, and Im the creator of Captivating History. First off, I want to THANK YOU for reading our books in the Captivating History series. As an avid reader of History myself, I aim to produce books that will hold you captive.

Now you have a chance to join our exclusive history list so you can get the ebook below for free as well as discounts and a potential to get more history books for free! Simply click the link below to join.

P.S. If you join now, you will also receive a free Mythology book. Remember that its 100% free to join the list.

Click here to access your bonus

Also, make sure to follow us on:

Twitter: @Captivhistory

Facebook: Captivating History: @captivatinghistory

The Battle of Thermopylae is one of the most famous battles in human history. It featured two of the ancient worlds most prominent cultures, the Achaemenid-led Persian Empire and the fragmented yet culturally advanced Greeks. It also included some of historys most famous leaders, such as the Persian king Xerxes I and the Spartan king and military general Leonidas.

The drama of this battle has been glorified by people almost since the moment it occurred. More recently, it has been the subject of many famous paintings which usually depict the famous last stand made by the Greeks, specifically Leonidas and his Spartan soldiers. Plus, the film (2006) is based on the Battle of Thermopylae, showing how this event still lives on in our collective memory.

This glorification is apt only because the battle was indeed an important moment in the much larger conflict known as the Greco-Persian Wars. However, the Greeks lost this battle. In fact, it was a slaughter. Had it not been for some good fortune as well as an advantage in terms of equipment and fighting techniques, the Battle of Thermopylae could have gone down in history as the beginning of the end for one of the worlds great civilizations.

But this didnt happen. The Greeks managed to turn the tables on the Persians shortly after the Battle of Thermopylae, and this battle became understood more as a symbol of Greek pride and independence than of true military prowess.

Indeed, the story of the Greeks at the Battle of Thermopylae is heroic. Up against unfathomable odds, the Greeks defended the narrow Pass of Thermopylae for seven days, and the majority of the soldiers who were there managed to escape to fortify the rest of the Greek line. Only a small contingent of soldiers stayed with the Spartan king Leonidas, and they were eventually overrun and destroyed.

That these soldiers were more willing to die than to surrender to the Persians is part of the reason why this battle has become so famous. It serves as a symbol of what people will do to protect their freedom and their homeland. Sure, much of our memory of the Battle of Thermopylae is glorified untruth, but no one can deny that the Greeks and the Persians, in late August or early September of 480 BCE, fought one of the most important battles in one of the most important wars of the ancient era.

When studying the Battle of Thermopylae, we must always remember that despite the large shadow it casts in our historical memory, it was just one battle in a much larger war. The war or, perhaps better put, wars fought between the Greeks and the Persians between c. 490 BCE and c. 449 BCE were the product of Persias 6 th -century imperial expansion, and they went on to shape the course of the 5 th and 4 th centuries. As a result, to really understand the significance of the Battle of Thermopylae, its important to spend some time looking at the Greco-Persian Wars.

War Begins in Ionia

Persia was based in modern-day Iran, and in todays world, the Persians and Greeks seem very far apart. But in the ancient world, where power, wealth, and security were directly linked to territorial expansion, the two cultures came into contact with one another early.

The scene of the first direct military conflict between Greece and Persia took place in the territory that is modern-day Turkey. The Greeks, mostly those from Athens and Attica, the surrounding region, had migrated across the Aegean during the final millennium BCE in search of relief from the overpopulation and farmland scarcity that was plaguing Athens. These Greek cities operated independently, although many of them relied on cities in mainland Greece, mainly Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and to a lesser extent, Sparta, for protection and trade.

In the 7 th century BCE, the part of western Asia where Turkey is today, known as Asia Minor, was controlled by the Kingdom of Lydia. During this time, the Ionian Greeks experienced a decent amount of autonomy, and they maintained a league that allowed them to support one another as well as share cultural commonalities. However, by the mid-6 th century (c. 550 BCE), the Persians rose to power under Cyrus the Great, who, after conquering Media and Babylon, managed to also subjugate Lydia.

This threatened Ionian autonomy, and although they wound up accepting Persian rule, they never fully assimilated into the Persian Empire and proved rather difficult to rule. Resistance was heavy, and at the turn of the century, c. 499 BCE, the Ionian Greeks were in full-scale revolt.

However, they did not do this on their own. Aristagoras, the tyrant ruler of the city-state Miletus, made a partnership with the Persian satrap, Artaphernes, the brother of the Persian king, Darius I, to invade the island city of Naxos. But he failed, and fearing Darius I would punish him, he tried to get ahead of the Persian king by encouraging the citizens of Ionia to rebel against Persian rule. Seeing this as an opportunity to gain more independence, the Ionian cities responded to Aristagoras and removed the Persian governors from power. Many Ionian cities received support from their friends on mainland Greece which would further complicate Greco-Persian relations.