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# Battle of Thermopylae

# Battle of Thermopylae

## Overview
The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) was a famous last stand by a Greek force led by King Leonidas I of Sparta against the massive Persian army of Xerxes I during the second Persian invasion of Greece.

## Key Facts
- Date: August 480 BCE (three days)
- Location: Thermopylae pass ("Hot Gates"), central Greece
- Belligerents: Greek alliance vs. Persian Empire
- Commanders: Leonidas I (Sparta), Xerxes I (Persia)
- Result: Persian victory, but costly delay [^1]

## The Battle
- ~7,000 Greeks initially held the narrow pass against ~100,000–300,000 Persians (numbers debated)
- Greeks exploited the narrow terrain to negate Persian numerical advantage
- Betrayed by Ephialtes, who revealed a mountain path to outflank the Greeks
- Leonidas dismissed most allies; ~300 Spartans, ~700 Thespians, and ~400 Thebans fought to the death

## Legacy
- Epitaph by Simonides: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie" [^2]
- Bought time for the Greek fleet at Artemisium and the subsequent victory at Salamis
- Became the archetypal story of sacrifice against overwhelming odds

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[^1]: Herodotus, *Histories* 7.201–233
[^2]: Cartledge, P. *Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World* (2006)
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## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Date: August 480 BCE (three days)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. August 480 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Location: Thermopylae pass ("Hot Gates"), central Greece" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Greek alliance vs. Persian Empire" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Commanders: Leonidas I (Sparta), Xerxes I (Persia)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Result: Persian victory, but costly delay [^1]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. August 480 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "~7,000 Greeks initially held the narrow pass against ~100,000–300,000 Persi..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Greeks exploited the narrow terrain to negate Persian numerical advantage" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Betrayed by Ephialtes, who revealed a mountain path to outflank the Greeks" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Leonidas dismissed most allies; ~300 Spartans, ~700 Thespians, and ~400 Theba..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Epitaph by Simonides: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here o..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Bought time for the Greek fleet at Artemisium and the subsequent victory at S..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Became the archetypal story of sacrifice against overwhelming odds" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Date: August 480 BCE (three days)" - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Location: Thermopylae pass ("Hot Gates"), central Greece" - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Greek alliance vs. Persian Empire" - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Commanders: Leonidas I (Sparta), Xerxes I (Persia)" - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "~7,000 Greeks initially held the narrow pass against ~100,000–300,000 Persi..." - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Greeks exploited the narrow terrain to negate Persian numerical advantage" - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Betrayed by Ephialtes, who revealed a mountain path to outflank the Greeks" - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Leonidas dismissed most allies; ~300 Spartans, ~700 Thespians, and ~400 Theba..." - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Bought time for the Greek fleet at Artemisium and the subsequent victory at S..." - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Became the archetypal story of sacrifice against overwhelming odds" - what is the source?
> Herodotus Histories 7.201-233 [^1] and Cartledge (2006) [^2].
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 23: "Epitaph by Simonides: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here o..." - Cartledge source from 2006 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Still accurate. Cartledge (2006) remains a standard reference. The underlying historical facts are well-established.