Battle of Thermopylae
E76004
The Battle of Thermopylae was a famous 480 BC clash during the Greco-Persian Wars in which a small Greek force led by King Leonidas of Sparta made a legendary last stand against the vastly larger Persian army of Xerxes I.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Thermopylae | 2 |
| defense of Thermopylae | 1 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
battle
ⓘ
engagement of the Greco-Persian Wars ⓘ land battle ⓘ |
| associatedEvent | Battle of Artemisium ⓘ |
| belligerent |
Achaemenid Empire
ⓘ
Greek city-states ⓘ |
| causeOfGreekDefeat |
Greek position outflanked
ⓘ
Persians ⓘ
surface form:
Persians discovered mountain path
|
| combatant |
Athens
ⓘ
Achaemenid Empire ⓘ
surface form:
Persian Empire
Sparta ⓘ Thebes ⓘ Thespiae ⓘ |
| conflict | Greco-Persian Wars ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance |
important theme in Western military history
ⓘ
symbol of courage against overwhelming odds ⓘ |
| date | 480 BC ⓘ |
| endDate | 480 BC ⓘ |
| followedBy |
Battle of Plataea
ⓘ
Battle of Salamis ⓘ |
| forceSize |
small Greek force
ⓘ
vastly larger Persian army ⓘ |
| GreekCommander | Leonidas I ⓘ |
| GreekForcesIncluded |
Spartan hoplites
ⓘ
Theban contingent ⓘ Thespian hoplites ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Greek Antiquity
ⓘ
surface form:
ancient Greece
|
| locatedNear | Malian Gulf ⓘ |
| location |
Thermopylae
ⓘ
central Greece ⓘ |
| notableFor |
Greek last stand
ⓘ
defense of a narrow pass ⓘ disproportionate forces ⓘ heroic sacrifice of Spartans and allies ⓘ |
| opposingCommander |
Leonidas I
ⓘ
Xerxes I NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| outcome | tactical Persian victory ⓘ |
| partOf |
Greco-Persian Wars
ⓘ
surface form:
Second Persian invasion of Greece
|
| PersianCommander | Xerxes I NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| PersianTactics |
frontal assaults
ⓘ
use of elite Immortals unit ⓘ |
| primaryAncientSource |
works of Herodotus
ⓘ
surface form:
Herodotus' Histories
|
| result | Persian victory ⓘ |
| startDate | 480 BC ⓘ |
| strategicEffect |
boosted Greek morale and legend of resistance
ⓘ
delayed Persian advance into Greece ⓘ |
| tactics |
defense in depth in a narrow pass
ⓘ
phalanx formation ⓘ |
| terrain | narrow coastal pass ⓘ |
| turningPoint | Persian outflanking of Greek position ⓘ |
Referenced by (16)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Histories
this entity surface form:
Thermopylae
this entity surface form:
Thermopylae
this entity surface form:
defense of Thermopylae