King Of Sparta Leonidas & The 300 Soldiers
“ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ”
Part 2
The Spartan way
In terms of technical warfare, the Spartans did not fight much differently than their fellow Greeks, but very much differently than the Persians.
The Greeks favoured the shield wall of tightly packed, heavily armoured warriors, who were to stand as a single block, relying on weight and solidity of the formation.
Their armour was extremely heavy, especially compared to the Persians. Corinthian bronze helmets covered the head fully and featured the characteristic T.
Their composite leather breastplates and shoulder corselets were reinforced by metal scales and sheets. The large shield was covered with bronze, and known as the Hoplon, making the warrior a Hoplite.
On it, the Spartans bore the Lambda Symbol, for Lacedaemon, the Greek name for Sparta. Armed with a six-foot spear and with a sword for close quarter combat, they were most formidable opponents.
While the Spartan right flank was guarded by the sea, the left was blocked by the steep slopes of Mount Kallidromos, and there was even an ancient wall guarding the pass. It was the perfect place for hoplite warfare.
Coming south from Macedonia, the first Persian scout who approached the Hot Gates told Xerxes of a group of half-naked men readying themselves for battle, and seemingly unbothered by the large host assembling in front of them.
Xerxes wanted them swept aside and ordered a frontal attack because of a lack of tactical choices and patience
The battle commences
On August 18, 480 BC, the battle began. The Persian host was used to battles in vast open areas or in mountains, where speed and agility brought the advantage.
Much of the Persian force was only lightly armed with short spears, daggers and wicker shields.
Their main weapon was the bow, not the sword. Some elite units wore leather armour or reinforced jerkins, but most wore no armour at all.
At first the Medes attacked, and promptly ran into a wall of gleaming bronze. It was a terrible slaughter as their weapons could not penetrate the shield wall.
The Medes withdrew without making much of a dent in the Greek formation. Next were the men of Susa – proud warriors who fired a hail of arrows into the Hoplites before they charged over the dead bodies of the Medes.
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How did Leonidas die?
With their lives now forfeited, they would go out to inflict as many casualties upon the enemy as possible.
As the Immortals appeared behind them, Leonidas’ force formed a hedgehog of spears, and the Persians had to be whipped into battle out of fear of the Spartans.
The final hours of the Spartans and their allies was a relentless battle. They killed and killed, driving the enemy against the mountain walls and down into the sea. They fought until their spears broke, their shields and helmets were dented, and their swords became blunt.
At one point Leonidas was killed, and a savage battle over his body ensued. The Persians trying to claim his body as a trophy, and the Spartans desperately fought for the honour of their King.
It is said that two of Xerxes’s brothers died in the attempt, before the Persians retrieved the body. (Leonidas was approximately 60 years old when he died, and he was succeeded by his son, Pleistarchus.)
The Spartans defended themselves to the very last soldier, until they overwhelmed by spears and arrows. There were no Spartan prisoners.
By midday of the third day, it was all over. Xerxes himself went down to inspect the battlefield. He cut off the head of Leonidas and impaled it on a spear for his army to see. The Spartans were mortal and could be killed, but their last stand had given the Persians a taste of what would come.
Greece was not a pushover. The war was far from over and would be eventually decided at sea and the battlefield of Platea in Greek favour
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But the last stand at Thermopylae was a symbol to the rest of Hellas, a rallying call, and a legend to stand through the centuries.
As for the Spartans and their bravery and might, after the war there would be a plaque at Thermopylae bearing the words: “Tell them in Lacedaemon, passerby: that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.”
The men of Susa fared no better and broke like a wave against a rock. By the afternoon there was a second wall, this time it was made out of corpses.
Xerxes was losing his patience, but clearly this was no ordinary force he faced. He ordered the Immortals forward.
The Spartans performed a feigned retreat, stopping and bracing only at the last moment when the enemy charged them.
Then after the slaughter, they again pushed and advanced a short pace to tear into the enemy. The Spartans were made for this kind of battle.
Xerxes, watching from this throne, is said to have sprung three times into the air out of anger, that even his beloved Immortals could not break the Greek lines. With heavy losses the attacks were called off for the night.
By now the Greek defiance had caused a traffic jam. The whole host was halted by the few thousand men in the narrow pass. The Spartans and their allies tended to their wounds.
They too had casualties, but not many compared to the mass of corpses before them. The next morning Xerxes put more troops into the pass, promising rich rewards for success.
It was another day of hard fighting, and the Greek line held fast. No hail of arrows and no frontal assault could break the defiant defenders.
It was close to nightfall that the Persians learned of the secret pass over Mount Kallidromos that would lead to the Spartan rear.
This was of course not a “secret pass” at all. It was just a secret to the Persians, who like all invading forces throughout history lacked local knowledge.
In Herodotus’ history, this “betrayal” would be attributed to a certain Ephialtes, probably a local who simply told them about it for money.
Leonidas had positioned a small defence on the pass with men from Lamia. He certainly would have preferred his trusted Spartans in that position but could not afford to remove any from the main battle.
And though the men of Lamia had just one job, to keep an eye out and warn the Spartan King in time if the Persians were coming, they messed it up and were unpleasantly surprised during the night. News that the Immortals were upon them reached Leonidas too late.
Their rear was in danger, and even if they fled, the Persian horsemen would pursue them.
Xerxes reportedly offered to spare the Spartans’ lives if they gave up their arms, to which Leonidas replied “ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ” (come and take them).
Leonidas offered his allies a withdrawal option, while his Spartans would hold the Persians off as long as possible.
Many men chose to stay with the Spartan King, so their numbers were still around 1,200. Leonidas told the remaining men to have a good breakfast, because tonight they would dine with Hades, the King of the underworld
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The epitaph has made it down from over 2,500 years. Herodotus (c. 484-425 BC) said one of the original monuments he found at Thermopylae brandished the inscription (7.228).
The source of the epitaph was poet-propagandist Simonides (c. 556-468). The Spartans would have paid him handsomely for his work.
Numerous poets and orators regurgitated or appropriated the quote.
The most famous was Cicero (106-43 BC) who admired it along with the leadership of Leonidas.
By the time geographer Strabo (c. 63 BC – 24 AD) made it to Thermopylae 500 years after the battle, this was the only epitaph he recorded among the monuments (9.4.16).
He referred to it as the “oft-quoted inscription,” meaning it was still popular 5 centuries later.
G.I.T.C
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Go tell the Spartans
Although Herodotus tells us of several monuments that resided on the Thermopylae battlefield, not a single one of them has survived to today. However, there are numerous modern recreations.
One in particular pays tribute to the last stand of the Spartans and their Thespian allies on Kolonos Hill, the probable spot where they fell.
To get to the monument, you must climb the stone steps of Kolonos, only 45 ft high.
If you ever have the privilege of making the trek, be sure to pay tribute to the battle in your own personal way.
At the top, you will have a magnificent view. This photo faces west, the direction from which the Persians attacked the Spartan defenses at Thermopylae.
The road that peaks out from behind the tree in the middle, right-hand side of the photo marks roughly where the sea would have touched in 480 BC.
View from Kolonos Hill, facing direction of the Persian army at Thermopylae. September 2014.In addition, you will see a stone slab bearing an ancient Greek inscription.
Greeks often referred to the Spartans as Lacedaemonians, as Sparta resided in the Lacedaemonia region.
Obeying their laws meant fighting to the death as ordered.