Thermopylae - The Hot Gates

Thermopylae — the "Hot Gates" — is a narrow coastal pass in central Greece where, in August 480 BCE, one of history's most celebrated acts of courage and sacrifice took place. Here, King Leonidas of Sparta and a small force of Greek warriors held back the vast Persian army of King Xerxes for three days, buying the time that would ultimately save Greek civilization. The pass takes its name from the hot sulfur springs that still bubble from the ground nearby. In antiquity, the pass was far narrower than today — barely wide enough for a single wagon between the mountains and the sea. This natural bottleneck negated the Persians' overwhelming numerical superiority, forcing Xerxes' army to fight in a narrow front where quality of arms and training, not numbers, determined the outcome. The 300 Spartans who formed the core of the Greek defense have become the most famous warriors in history. Raised from birth in the agoge — Sparta's brutal military training system — they were the finest soldiers the ancient world had ever produced. They fought alongside 700 Thespians, 400 Thebans, and other Greek allies, but it is the Spartans whose sacrifice has echoed through the millennia. The battle ended when a local Greek named Ephialtes, seeking reward from Xerxes, revealed a hidden mountain path that allowed the Persians to encircle the defenders. When Leonidas learned of the betrayal, he dismissed most of the Greek army but remained with his Spartans, the Thespians who refused to leave, and the Thebans. They fought to the last man, their sacrifice buying critical days for the Greek fleet and army to regroup. Today, the battlefield has changed dramatically — centuries of silt deposits have pushed the coastline far from the original pass. But the monument to Leonidas still stands, bearing the epitaph composed by the poet Simonides: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie."