Describe the events at the battle of thermopylae?

Answer 1

The sea battle which it was designed to precipitate, having failed, the reason for holding the land pass ceased. The Spartan commander sent his supporting citiy contingents off to seek the protection of friendly city walls, and to give them a clean break, continued to hold the pass with his 300-strong badoguard and 2,000 light infantry. They died in securing the safety of their allies.
The Spartan sacrifice of The Three Hundred held up the Persian advance long enough for the various city-states to coalesce a unified resistance. The Athenian Fleet destroyed the Persian Fleet at Salamis, forcing the Persians to retreat overland, subjected to guerrilla raids until all the armies, under Spartan leadership, joined together to crush the Persians at Plataea.

Answer 2

Answer 1

Thermopylae , Greece is where the famous 'Battle of Thermopylae' took place where a small contingent/coalition (Notably the Spartans , Thebans , Phocians , Arcadians , et.al.) of Greek Hoplites (armoured infantry) led by the Spartan king Leonidas blocked , there was a small constriction at the pass of Thermopylae , a larger invading force of Persians under the command of Xerxes I . At sea , the Athenian Admiral Themistocles won a naval battle over the Persians thus preventing them from circumventing the pass by landing infantry behind the Greeks by way of an amphibious landing . The Greeks withstood Persian assaults for three days until the Persians utilized a mountain path to outflank the Greeks . The Persians destroyed the Greek blocking force and went on to burn the city of Athens .

{Note: The Greeks lost the sea battle - see Answer 3}

Answer 2

The Greeks were defending against the invading Persian army. Due to their low numbers (roughly 7,000), the Greeks strategically positioned themselves in a narrow passage way. In response, the Persians sent 15,000 elite units. Many argue that there were hundreds of thousand, perhaps even millions of Persians, involved in the battle. There argument, however, is based solely on the writings of Greek historians (especially Herodotus) who weren't even around during the battle. To sum up the battle, the Persians began an assault from afar, using arrow folleys, knowing that the greeks would not move out of position from the fear of being overpowered by numbers. After a few days of arrows and a few light charges from thePersians, the Persians found a route around the Greek position, which they could use to charged them from front and behind. Upon this news, the Spartans covered the Greek retreat, sacrificing their lives for the rest (this is where the 300 comes from) The Persians won the battle and further expanded into the Balkans.

This all happened circa 480 BC

Answer 3

The Greeks assembled a small force of about 7,000 to hold the pass and stationed their combined navy in the nearby strait of Artemesion. Their plan was to precipitate a naval battle by blocking the pass. They needed to defeat the Persian fleet to remove its amphibious threat to the southern Greek cities, which kept their armies defensively at home, and so could not concentrate against the Persian army which could therefore pick off the cities one by one.

A naval battle ensued which the Persians won.

There being no further need to hold the pass, the Greek forces holding it withdrew. The Spartan and Thespian contingents continued to hold the pass to allow the withdrawing Greek allies to get to the protection of friendly city walls to avoid being ridden down when the Persian cavalry broke loose. They went down to a man, heroically saving their allies.

Answer 3

It was where a small group of mostly Spartan soldiers kept a vastly superior Persian force at bay, killing thousands of Persians in the process. It helped that the Spartans took their stand in a narrow pass, where only a few hundred Persians could fit at the same time, thereby making their much larger force useless to overwhelm the better-armed and trained Spartans.

The Spartans held out for two days. Then a Greek traitor told the Persians a passageway to get behind the Spartans. Attacked from both sides at once, the Spartans were killed to the last man.

Answer 4

The small Greek force held the pass for three days to force a decisive sea battle in the nearby strait. The sea battle was lost by the Greek navies, so the pass was abandoned. The Spartan land contingent selflessly continued to hold the pass to allow its allies to escape, and was anihilated.

Answer 5

The Persians occupied central Greece and Athens, but were defeated in a series of battles at Salamis, Plataia and Mykale. They then withdrew back to Asia Minor.

Answer 6

The Battle of Thermopylae consisted of the 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas, defending against King Xerxes' army.

Answer 7

The Athenians build a fleet of about two hundred ships.