In 480 B.C.E., King Leonidas of Sparta led 7,000 men against an estimated 300,000 Persian soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae — and almost won. The Greeks successfully used their home terrain ...

Outnumbered and undaunted, Spartan warriors and other Greek troops held firm in the face of Persia's might, until treachery brought King Xerxes' fury down upon them in 480 B.C.

And there is perhaps no better precedent for this archetype than one of the first such examples in recorded history: The Battle of Thermopylae. Perhaps better known today as “that battle from the ...

The heroic last stand by 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae is the most famous incident from the Persians’ failed attempt to conquer Greece in 480 BC. The Persian king Xerxes had invaded ...

It's clear [the battle] inspired the Greek spirit of resistance. That Spartans, including a Spartan king, should be willing to die for this cause I think made a huge impression on people.

The myth of Sparta’s martial prowess owes much of its power to a storied feat of heroism accomplished by Leonidas, king of Sparta and hero of the celebrated Battle of Thermopylae (480 B.C.).

Without Spartan participation in the war against Persia at the beginning of the fifth century B.C.— especially their heroic stand at the critical Battle of Thermopylae in 480—the Persians may ...

The Battle of Thermopylae is one of the most famous last stands in history and is known for King Leonidas and 300 soldiers of Sparta fighting a million-strong Persian army. Read on to know if this ...

This Spartan king ruled for about a decade before dying at the Battle of Thermopylae fighting the Persians. According to Greek historian Herodotus, Leonidas sent most of his soldiers away when he ...