103 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
103 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
<!-- factbase:49cfd2 -->
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# Battle of Thermopylae
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# Battle of Thermopylae
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## Overview
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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.
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## Key Facts
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- Date: August 480 BCE (three days)
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- Location: Thermopylae pass ("Hot Gates"), central Greece
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- Belligerents: Greek alliance vs. Persian Empire
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- Commanders: Leonidas I (Sparta), Xerxes I (Persia)
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- Result: Persian victory, but costly delay [^1]
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## The Battle
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- ~7,000 Greeks initially held the narrow pass against ~100,000–300,000 Persians (numbers debated)
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- Greeks exploited the narrow terrain to negate Persian numerical advantage
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- Betrayed by Ephialtes, who revealed a mountain path to outflank the Greeks
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- Leonidas dismissed most allies; ~300 Spartans, ~700 Thespians, and ~400 Thebans fought to the death
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## Legacy
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- Epitaph by Simonides: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie" [^2]
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- Bought time for the Greek fleet at Artemisium and the subsequent victory at Salamis
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- Became the archetypal story of sacrifice against overwhelming odds
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---
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[^1]: Herodotus, *Histories* 7.201–233
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[^2]: Cartledge, P. *Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World* (2006)
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---
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## Review Queue
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<!-- factbase:review -->
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Date: August 480 BCE (three days)" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Location: Thermopylae pass ("Hot Gates"), central Greece" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Greek alliance vs. Persian Empire" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Commanders: Leonidas I (Sparta), Xerxes I (Persia)" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Result: Persian victory, but costly delay [^1]" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "~7,000 Greeks initially held the narrow pass against ~100,000–300,000 Persi..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Greeks exploited the narrow terrain to negate Persian numerical advantage" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Betrayed by Ephialtes, who revealed a mountain path to outflank the Greeks" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Leonidas dismissed most allies; ~300 Spartans, ~700 Thespians, and ~400 Theba..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Epitaph by Simonides: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here o..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Bought time for the Greek fleet at Artemisium and the subsequent victory at S..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Became the archetypal story of sacrifice against overwhelming odds" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Date: August 480 BCE (three days)" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Location: Thermopylae pass ("Hot Gates"), central Greece" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Greek alliance vs. Persian Empire" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Commanders: Leonidas I (Sparta), Xerxes I (Persia)" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "~7,000 Greeks initially held the narrow pass against ~100,000–300,000 Persi..." - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Greeks exploited the narrow terrain to negate Persian numerical advantage" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Betrayed by Ephialtes, who revealed a mountain path to outflank the Greeks" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Leonidas dismissed most allies; ~300 Spartans, ~700 Thespians, and ~400 Theba..." - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Bought time for the Greek fleet at Artemisium and the subsequent victory at S..." - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Became the archetypal story of sacrifice against overwhelming odds" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@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?
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