The Battle of Thermopylae… or, the ‘300 Spartans’ – Part 2 of 5 (480 BC)
While on the way, the Spartans were joined by several thousand soldiers from the Greek allied states. When they reached Thermopylae, the Spartans were soon visited by a Persian scout. They allowed the scout to enter their camp and observe the troops, and then take his report back to Xerxes. Herodotus writes that upon hearing about the size of the Greek army, and what they were doing to prepare for battle – mainly, combing their hair – he laughed… and then became incredulous when he realized that this small Greek force intended to actually fight against his hundreds of thousands of warriors.
Another account of the story describes how Xerxes sent emissaries to the Greek camp, offering Leonidas the kingship of all Greece, if only he would submit and ally himself with Persia. Leonidas refused, responding that for him “it would be better to die for Greece than to be monarch over my compatriots.”
Unsatisfied, Xerxes gave the Greek forces a second chance, asking them to surrender their weapons. To this, Leonidas responded: “Come and get them.”
The morale of the Spartans was extremely high, even though their force numbered thousands less than the Persian army. Herodotus tells of a Spartan soldier named Dienekes, who upon hearing that the Persian arrows were rumored to be so numerous as to “blot out the sun”, he quipped back “so much the better, we shall fight in the shade.”
Xerxes sent his first wave of forces against the Greeks, numbering around 10,000 soldiers, and commanded by General Artapanus. Unfortunately for the Persians, this wave was literally cut to pieces… with only two or three Spartans lost.
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Tomorrow: Immortals attack!
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