Leonidas at Thermopylae. Oil on canvas, 395 x 531 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris
Thermopylae. This name resonates throughout Western civilization as the site of one of the most heroic last stands ever recounted on the field of battle. There at the hot gates, Spartans and other Greek soldiers stood their ground against insurmountable Persian forces. This battle has captured the imagination of Western civilization as a brave defense against the barbarian eastern hordes King Leonidas of Sparta and the remaining Greeks fought to the death against King Xerxes’ Persian army, after the Greeks held the pass at Thermopylae for several days. This battle cost the Persians many lives, and allowed the Greeks a symbol upon which they could rally. Popular culture today lionizes this battle, most recently seen in the film 300, where bare-chested chiseled Spartans fought against a monstrous Persian army. This battle represents a paradigm shift because even though it ended in a Persian victory, the Greeks were able to rally and eventually defeat the Persians at the battle of Plataea.
In 480 BCE, Persian forces under the command of King Xerxes made their way into Greece with the intention of conquering it once and for all. Persia during this time was a great power, and the separate Greek city-states only overcame their bickering and warring with one another in time of great crisis. Even though this was one of those times, the situation for the Greeks looked grim. That is why a decisive battle plan had to be put into action. After rebuffing several Persian attempts to get them to surrender, the Greeks decided to send a force led by the Spartan King Leonidas to hold off the Persian advance at Thermopylae. The Greek writer Xenophon calculated that the force consisted of 4,300 men; both from Sparta and other Greek cities.[1] While the Greeks decided that the Persians must be stopped by land, they also reasoned that the Persians must also be stopped at sea. The Athenian Admiral Themistocles sailed out with his fleet of roughly 200 to cover the Greek army off of Artimisium, in order to ensure that the Persians did not advance a
ny farther by sea.[2] The Persians led by Xerxes and the allied Greek army led by Leonidas finally met on the field of battle at Thermopylae (the ‘hot gates.’) There, the two armies battled on a stretch of land no wider than twenty to thirty meters.[3] This battle raged for several days, with the vastly outnumbered Greeks repelling every Persian assault. Even the Immortals, the elite Persian infantry, could not breach the Greek lines. Eventually, the Persians came to know of a small path around Thermopylae that would allow them to flank the Greek defenders. The Greek hoplites that were guarding the pass fled as a wing of the Persian army, led by the Immortals, bore down on them. The Persians flanked the Greeks, and their fate was thusly sealed. The Greeks, specifically the Spartans, fought to the last man. They fought past the point when their spears splintered and were forced to fight with swords, until they were finally cut down by a volley of arrows and other projectiles. Despite the Persian victory, this loss would inspire the Greeks to rally and to eventually defeat the Persians at the Battle of Plataea a year later. That is why the battle at Thermopylae is a paradigm shift.
After the loss of King Leonidas and the destruction of the Greek army at Thermopylae, the Persian army continued its advance into Greek lands. King Xerxes’ aim was to conquer or to force the Greek city-states into sub
mission. Sparta and Athens were the two primary targets of Xerxes’ army, as they had the largest army and navy, respectively. In 479 BCE, a Greek army consisting of forces from all of the city-states met the Persian army on the plains of Plataea. The two sides fought a bitter battle, but the Greeks, bolstered by the knowledge that Leonidas’ forces had held off the same army for three days, won that day. The Persian army was defeated and sent into retreat. That battle saved Greece from Persian domination, but it was also remarkable because an army from an alliance of city-states had defeated an army from the greatest power of its day. The paradigm shift started by Leonidas at Thermopylae ended at Plataea. The birthplace of Western civilization would not be conquered by outside forces.
The battle at Thermopylae represents a paradigm shift because it rallied the Greeks to a victory at Plataea. It gave the Greeks a propaganda piece despite the eventual Persian victory. Leonidas would be hailed as a hero, while other great actors such as Themistocles, would not be as well known in future generations. This paradigm shift also marked the most Westerly advance of Persian forces. A mere 150 years later it would be Persia on the defensive as the Greeks, led by Alexander of Macedon, would utterly destroy the empire. For the next 500 years the balance of power would swing over to Europe, as a new Empire in the isthmus of Italy would eventually rise. The battle at Thermopylae represented a paradigm shift of enormous magnitude; through it the Greeks were inspired to great deeds at Plataea, and eventually to defeat Persians completely over a century later. Greece was not conquered by an Eastern force. The Western foundations of civilization would be free to grow and develop, free from outside influence.
By:John Clement
Edited by: Tabitha Timbrook
Thermopylae- A narrow passage situated on a road from the north to the south/center of Greece that is now the National Road. Known as the “Hot Gates” as a hot spring lies just behind it. http://people.hsc.edu/drjclassics/lectures/history/PersianWars/persianwars.shtm
Sparta- A city state in the south of Greece centered on loyalty to the state and military service. Spartan boys began their military training at the age of 7 and were soldiers until the age of 60; they were known for their military prowess, and perfected the phalanx formation, which involved the unit to work in a close formation and coordinated movements. http://www.history.com/topics/spartans
Persia- The Achaemenid Persian empire was founded by Cyrus II in 550 BCE in modern Iran, eventually stretching from modern day Turkey to India, down into Egypt and became one of the most powerful nations of the time. It remained in power until 330 BCE. http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam033/2002073452.pdf
King Leonidas- leader of Spartan forces during battle of Thermopylae. Took heroic stand with 300 of his royal-guards against Persian forces for two days to the last man. Origin of legend that Spartans never surrender. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leonidas
Xerxes I- King of Persia from 486–465 BCE. His defeat in Greece signified the beginning of the Achaemenid dynasty’s decline. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xerxes%20i
Immortals- 10000 elite warriors who were royal body guard for the king of Persia, so named as they were replaced as soon as one fell. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/587087/Ten-Thousand-Immortals
Alexander of Macedon- Also known as Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE), was the king of Macedon who is considered a military genius, creating one of the largest empires of the ancient world. He conquered the Persian empire and is said to have never lost a battle. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/alexander_the_great.shtml
[1] qtd. in Nicholas G.L. Hammond, “Sparta at Thermopylae,” Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte 45 no. 1 (1st Qtr. 1996): 7.
[2] Ibid., 15-16.
[3] John C. Kraft et al., “The Pass at Thermopylae, Greece,” Journal of Field Archaeology 14 no. 2 (Summer 1987): 195.
The Cave 