Battle of Thermopylae facts, myths, legends, map, pictures and statistics. King Leonidas and 300 Spartans against million Persian army. Battle of Thermopylae is a symbol of courage and patriotism.

Battle in northern Greece (480 BC) in the Persian Wars. The Greek forces, were led by Leonidas. After three days of holding their own against the Persian king Xerxes I and his vast southward-advancing army, the Greeks were betrayed, and the Persians were able to outflank them. Sending the main army in retreat, Leonidas and a small contingent remained behind to resist the advance and were killed to the last man.

5-12 000 Greeks including 300 Spartans x 70 000 – 1 800 000 Persians (depending on source) King Leonidas (killed), Demophilus (killed) x Xerxes, Mardonius, Hydarnes Place: Thermopylae pass, Greece Date: August 7, 480 BC

King Xerxes (son of Darius) became Persian king after his father’s death in 486 BC. After securing his throne, Xerxes began to muster forces to once again invade Greece. He was determined to avenge his father’s defeat. By 480 BC, Xerxes had built up an enormous army of some one hundred fifty thousand men and a navy of six hundred ships. Peoples from many little-known nations in the vast empire of Xerxes joined in the army of the Great King to invade little Greece. Following the chariot of Or’muzd are soldiers from India, Thrace, Chal’y-be’a and both Ethiopias.