Analysis of the Battle of Thermopylae

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The battle of Thermopylae was the Greek’s first stand against the massive army of King Xerxes, and was the most influential battle of the entire war. Up to this point, the Persian army was seen as too massive and powerful to be stopped. The once warring city-states of Greece knew they couldn’t stand against the Persians alone, and knew in order to defend their homeland they would have to unite. A unity of command was agreed upon; King Leonidas of Sparta was chosen to lead the Greek forces. He was chosen to lead because of the unsurpassed warring abilities the Spartans were so well known for made him perfect for the objective of stopping the Persians. Xerxes and his army landed on the Greek shores of Thermopylae sometime in the summer of 480 BC. The Persian army numbered somewhere around 100,000 to 150,000 soldiers from across the Persian Empire, most of which were slaves forced to join after they had been conquered (Robinson). Their plan was to march into the heart of Greece through the Thermopylae pass, the only path through the mountains. It was here that King Leonidas thought he had the best chance to stop the Persian advance into Greece. The pass was a narrow path between the mountains, which the massive Persian force would be funneled into and have to face the Greeks one-on-one. The Greek army consisted of 300 Spartans and about 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers from across Greece. Leonidas planned to use his soldiers’ better fighting skills to defeat, or at least hold off, Xerxes’ forces until the remainder of the Greek Army could arrive. Before the Persian army advanced to meet the Spartans on the battlefield they sent scouts to find their position. They found the Spartans had built a small wall of stone, nothing that could st... ... middle of paper ... ...iples of war. By taking the path around the main Greek force they succeeded in both maneuvering and surprising the Greeks. By taking the small path around the pass they moved their forces into a position that gave their vast numbers an advantage over the Greeks; an advantage they did not have fighting head on. The Persians also caught the Greeks by surprise by taking the small path around. Even thought the Greeks had stationed a small force there, they had not planned heavily on the Persians finding and using the path. Works Cited Robinson, C.E. (2007). Hellas – A Short History of Ancient Greece. Pantheon Books Bury, J. B.; Russell Meiggs (2000). A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great Lazenby, JF. The Defence of Greece 490–479 BC. Aris & Phillips Ltd., 1993 Cawkwell, George (2006). The Greco-Persian Wars. Oxford University Press.

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