Is it true in ancient Greece 300 soldiers held off 200000 Persian elite troops for 3 days?

Answer 1

No, 7,000 Greek armoured warriors and 9,000 light infantry held the pass for 3 days against 180,000 Persian infantry and cavalry. This was to force the Persians to try to bypass the position with their fleet, with the Greek fleet waiting to pounce. The Greeks lost the naval battle and so the blocking force was withdrawn. The Spartan (300 armoured warriors and 2,100 light infantry) and Thespian contingents stayed to cover the retreat and were all killed, bravely protecting their allies' escape.

Folklore:

At the battle of Thermopylae 300 Spartan hoplites held of the entire Persian army. They were, however massacred at the end when a traitor from the Spartans led the Persians along a goat track through the mountains. The Persians could then come upon the Spartans from the rear and they were slaughtered to a man. EwwwwwThe header says it all. I'm guessing this is a "300" fan posting the above answer. Yes, a Greek force held off the Persian advance by King Xerxes I for 3 days at Thermopylae. BUT, the tell is, Ephialtes (the greek traitor) was not Spartan, he was a local who lived at Malis, not far from the battle site. The exact number of Persians is unknown, Herodotus records over 5000000, but it was probably nearer the given number in the question. There were not just 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, the were supported by 7000 other Greeks from all over the south of Hellas. These included more Spartans, not Hoplite troops but inferior light infantry. The Persians were held off until the third day of fighting, when Leonidas (the Spartan King and Leader of the Greek force) was killed. The Greeks were desperate to recover his body and much pushing back and forth ensued until the Spartans reached and recovered his corpse. The Greeks, now angry, fought all the harder and by the end of the battle, although surrounded (they had been betrayed by the afformentioned Ephialtes) The Persians had to finish them off with arrows. Only the Spartans, Thespians and Thebans perished at Thermopylae. Leonidas sent all but the Thebans home (The Thebans' loyalty to Hellas was questionable) but the Thespians stayed anyway as they too felt they should stand and sacrifice themselves in order that all of Greece should stand together against the Persian armies. The Thespians, often forgotten, played a major role in Thermopylae, their sacrifice, you could argue, was greater than that of the Spartans. It was illegal for a Spartan to abandon the field of battle (even the Spartan messenger Leonidas sent back to Sparta was exiled and died in shame) but the Thespians had every right to leave, and didn't. The battle of Thermopylae in 480BC stands as a MAJOR turningpoint in global history, before September 480BC the idea that there is something worth more than life itself was very sparse, but now, to sacrifice your life for a glorious cause is regarded as a noble and beautiful thing to do.