LEONIDAS AND THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE
Aug 05, 2021
5 minutes
WORDS: NIGE TASSELL
“THE BATTLE WAS A HARBINGER OF FUTURE UNITY AND SHARED IDEALS”
The battle of Thermopylae holds a significant place in Greek history. Although events were grave for the country’s troops, and it was a defeat that was almost inevitable, the battle was also a harbinger of future unity, of shared ideals, and of a growing devotion to a bigger cause.
In 490 BC, the first Persian invasion of Greece had come to an end following the invaders’ defeat at the battle of Marathon, a loss that brought the expansionist ambitions of Darius the Great to a close. After his death in 486 BC, Xerxes I – not the eldest of Darius’ sons but the one he had chosen to succeed him – resurrected these plans to conquer Greece. During the
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