A compromise was needed between sending a full army and keeping their divine favor: an advance guard of Spartans, led by King Leonidas ca. Instead of taking the Hippeis his strong bodyguard of the best young men , Leonidas departed with veterans. There was a little more to the compromise. The Spartans themselves brought Helots , basically enslaved people, to assist. At least 4, men occupied the pass of Thermopylae to fight. The Persian army did indeed arrive at Thermopylae and, after their offer of free passage to the Greek defenders was refused, they attacked on the fifth day.
For forty-eight hours, the defenders of Thermopylae held out, defeating not just the poorly trained levies sent to dull them, but the Immortals, the Persian elite. Unfortunately for the Greeks, Thermopylae held a secret: a small pass by which the main defenses could be outflanked. On the sixth night, the second of the battle , the Immortals followed this path, brushed aside the small guard and prepared to catch the Greeks in a pincer.
King Leonidas , undisputed head of the Greek defenders, was made aware of this pincer by a runner. Unwilling to sacrifice the entire army, but determined to keep the Spartan promise to defend Thermopylae, or perhaps just act as a rearguard, he ordered everyone but his Spartans and their Helots to retreat. Many did, but the Thebans and Thespians stayed the former possibly because Leonidas insisted they stay as hostages.
When battle commenced the next day, there were Greeks left, including Spartans two having been sent on missions. Caught between the main Persian army and 10, men to their rear, all were involved in fighting and wiped out. Only Thebans who surrendered remained. It is entirely possible the above account contains other myths. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.
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Although the Persians showed more clemency than other ancient empires like the Assyrians, governors accountable to the king ruled the different regions or satrapies. While the Greeks could have kept their customs and religion, it would have been more challenging to maintain their unique governments since the Greek satrapies would be required to pay taxes to the Persian Empire. Rather than existing as separate entities, the Greek poleis would have been absorbed by the invasive Persian government.
As a part of this empire, the Persians would have emphasized coercion over free will. Whips were only for slaves, not free men; they were appropriate for a barbarian master to use on his slave subjects, but out of the question for the citizen soldiers of a free Greek polis.
Such an action would have turned the Greeks into barbarians and slaves instead of freemen, thus eliminating the distinction between the Greek poleis and the Persian Empire. In fact, the Greeks might even change their understanding of key virtues like freedom since they would be treated like slaves. The ideals that motivated the Spartans to fight against the Persians at Thermopylae would have died under the Persians.
Americans can thank the Greeks, and especially the Spartans, for things they love and sometimes take for granted like the Constitution, Chick-fil-a, and capitalism. As the Persians advanced on Greece, however, all differences were laid aside in defense of the homeland.
Located just 40 miles from the narrow strait between Euboea and the mainland, local geography naturally fortified the spot, making it nearly impenetrable save for a small footpath.
This footpath could allow an enemy force to outflank the defenders, but the Greeks wagered that this vulnerability would remain a secret. Because of the size of the force, the Persian advance moved at a leisurely pace. By the time they reached Mount Olympus, months had passed. It was August, an inconvenient time of year for the Spartans to get involved in a fight. Sparta held both their Carneia and Olympics during this month, and believed forgoing these events would offend the gods.
With the advance of a foreign force, offending the gods was the last thing the Spartans wanted to do. A compromise had to be reached. As a result, the full Spartan army could not advance towards Thermopylae. Instead, their king, Leonidas , took small force of combat-hardened veterans.
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