Leonidas – Battle of Thermopylae

Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I, over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place in August or September 480 BC, at the narrow coastal pass of Thermopylae (“The Hot Gates”).

During two full days of battle, the small force led by Leonidas blocked the only road by which the massive Persian army could pass. After the second day, a local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks by revealing that a small path led behind the Greek lines. Leonidas, aware that his force was being outflanked, dismissed the bulk of the Greek army and remained to guard their retreat with 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 400 Thebans, and perhaps a few hundred others, most of whom were killed.
Thermopylae monument

A monument to Leonidas was erected at Thermopylae in 1955. It features a bronze statue of Leonidas. A sign, under the statue, reads simply: “ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ” (“Come and take”), which the Spartans said when the Persians asked them to put down their weapons at the start of the Battle of Thermopylae. Another statue, also with the inscription ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ, was erected at Sparta in 1968.

Video by: haanity