Notes on The Battle of Thermopylae - History Channel Video - Last Stand of the 300

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Walter Mills
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1 0:00: Intro - 300,000 Persians against 300 Spartans - hold the pass, or die trying Famous last stand for the Spartans Battle determined the fate of democracy and shaped the course of Western Civilization 480 BC - King Xerxes arrives in Greece with largest army in the world at the time Mustered about 300,000 soldiers for the invasion - but could have been as many as 2,000 Biggest army to ever pass through Greece 1,000 war ships accompany the army Persian Empire is enormous - extends from the Indus to the Nile to the Mediterranean Xerxes spent five years in preparation Goal was to burn Athens to the ground Greece was a relative backwater at the time - only ,000 total population Xerxes purpose: 1) to conquer Greece and expand Empire to the West, or 2) to punish Athens for supporting the Ionian Rebellion 25 years earlier Invasion comes at a crucial point for the new development of democracy in Athens - could have crushed democracy in its infancy Xerxes reached Thermopylae in summer of 480 Pass was only 200 yards wide at its narrowest - bounded by mountains, cliffs and the sea Natural choke point between the north and south of Greece - the one place to make a stand Persian scout found 7,000 Greeks blocking the pass Greeks took away Persian advantage in numbers by holding the pass Fewer men with greater flexibility can hold the ground against greater numbers Greece is currently a set of small city-states led by two rival cities, Athens and Sparta Rivals must set aside their differences in the face of invasion - have to fight together Spartan King Leonidas led the Greeks - chosen by the allies to hold the pass Leonidas had to stand and fight to the death Herodotus describes advice given to Xerxes: If you can trample these men at the pass, then no one can stop you Persian Navy meanwhile seeks to get through Artemesium in order to circumvent the Greeks Themistocles, an Athenian admiral, leads the Greek allied navy Gets credit for devising the joint land/sea strategy in effort to fend off slavery Xerxes strikes first with a barrage of arrows from his archers Leonidas and soldiers have waited entire lives for this moment Spartans have been born for battle 10: BC - fifty years before the battle - Leonidas as a newborn is evaluated for defects Spartans are either fit or unfit for life and battle Exposure for newborns with defects - no concern for feelings of the parents Only concern was the benefit to the state Only two types got tombstones in Sparta - men who died in battle, or women who died in childbirth - both were serving the state Children are for the state, not for the family Unique Spartan training program transformed boys into killing machines Boys were taken from mothers at age seven in order to live and train in the agoge Training lasted for twelve years, until entry into the army Training focused on killing and toughness - hunger encouraged theft - no crying Strip individuals of identity Test of toughness through flogging - endurance 1

2 Dysfunctional fraternity with hazing that goes awry Training increases in intensity as young men grow up Consequences of war games could be deadly Final test was to murder a helot, a local slave - rite of passage Key to ritual is to not get caught - training in the art of evasion - stealth Spartan training weeds out the weak - learn to kill or be killed Induction into army is proud moment for parents - validates the sacrifice of mothers Tale of a Spartan mother: With this shield or on it - come back victorious, or dead Spartan women are also renowned for physical strength in this warrior cult A good warrior could win a wife - but no true home life War was an annual occurrence - regional conflicts Preparation for the looming battle against the Persians at Thermopylae 19: BC - Greek spy discovers that Persians are mobilizing - 300,000 troops gather Imposing number to the Greeks - looked like the end of the world Athenians knew they would need help - called for help But appeal fell on deaf ears because there was no unified concept of Greece Most Greeks fought against each other, not along side each other Athens reaches out to Sparta, despite their poor relations Leonidas now is one of two kings of Sparta - Athenians appeal to him for help Spartans consult the Oracle at Delphi - a sacred Greek shrine Priestess babbles in response to a question - priest then interprets Oracle predicts that a Spartan king must die if Greeks are to defeat Persians Leonidas believes gods have chosen him to defend Greece and save Sparta Spartans also believe that Persia would want to take over all of Greece - not just Athens But Spartan Council allows Leonidas to take only a minimal force of 300 troops Spartans saw selection of the 300 as a great honor - opportunity for immortality Only those who have already fathered sons were selected - likely a suicide mission Great opportunity for military glory - must battle world s greatest fighting force 25: BC - Cyrus the Great unified the tribes of Persia (now modern Iran) Realized the importance of cavalry - combined with infantry - very effective Cavalry causes flanks to crumble after infantry attacks the center Cyrus conquers four kingdoms: Media, Lycia, Lydia, Babylonia Empire stretches from India to Egypt - most successful empire to date Persians set up satraps - allow people to maintain old worship as long as they pay taxes No attempt to impose religion or even a civic code - some see Cyrus as a real liberator Greeks colonists in Ionia lead a revolt in 499 BC Darius at first allows local governors to deal with uprising - until Athenians intervene with help Ionian rebels burn capital of Sardis with Athenian help - Persians want revenge Rebellion wakens a sleeping giant - servant constantly reminded Darius of the Athenians 29: BC - Darius sent 30,00 troops to annihilate Athens in retaliation for Ionian revolt Battle of Marathon - 26 miles from Athens - Greek army of 8,000 waits on the beach Persians charge - Athenians take a hit - Greeks eventually sucker the Persians into the center Battle becomes a slaughter - Greeks repel the Persian invaders - great slaughter 2

3 Runner reports victory to Athens - dropped dead after 26 miles Persia feels shock at news of Marathon - cannot let this embarrassment stand Persian vengeance becomes responsibility of Xerxes after Darius dies Xerxes has been taught how to fight - kill or be killed (story of lion in courtyard) Xerxes plans revenge for ten years - trained as a warrior and a ruler Xerxes marches his army across the Hellespont - one mile of water between Europe and Asia Engineers build a massive pontoon bridge out of 700 old ships and huge cables Great engineering feat - would have intimidated the Greeks Persian Army then marches three months into northern Greece Greeks set up two defenses - one at Corinth - the other at Thermopylae 300 Spartans and 7,000 allies in the north - along with Themistocles in Artemesium Strait 37:45 Xerxes prepares for battle with 300,000 men and 1,000 ships Greeks block the pass at Thermopylae - narrow space favors the defenders Xerxes first tried to negotiate with Leonidas - but Leonidas refuses Persians try intimidation, noting that arrows will block out the sun Spartan reply: Dienekes says Then we shall have our battle in the shade Spartans were the Delta Force of the ancient world Spartans fought in phalanx formation, shoulder to shoulder - created a shield wall Hoplites carried a hoplon shield three feet in diameter - twenty pounds with Argive grip Persians start with a barrage of arrows - but little impact on Greek armor Greeks used Corinthian helmets made of bronze - heavy, and restricting Lamellar armor functioned like kevlar Persian infantry charged - 10,000 rushed forward - but Greek phalanx stops the charge Greeks counter-attacked - fought in disciplined phalanx - coordinated spear attack Battle pulses throughout the first day - not continuous combat Persians are easy targets with little armor - can t maneuver or use their cavalry - no flanking Greeks were very good at selecting advantageous terrain No mercy for the Persians - great carnage - Persians realized the danger Leonidas understands his initial tactical success But meanwhile Persian navy tries to go around the pass through the Artemesium Strait 49:30 Naval battle determined whether ships could get behind the Greek Army Persian goal is to break through Greek line and then land troops behind the pass Themistocles was the architect of the coordinated land/sea battle Winston Churchill of his day who saw the struggle coming and planned accordingly Persians first tried to sail around Euboea with 200 ships - but Themistocles used surprise Greeks tried a late afternoon attack - knew first battle would be short Greeks try to quickly sink as many ships as possible Themistocles strategic genius gives the Greeks an advantage Born the son of a merchant - democracy allowed him to rise to the top Athens develops naval power because of its great harbor - Themistocles gets good training But he also learned the art of manipulation and political strategy in order to convince others 490 BC - Athens has only 100 ships - Themistocles knows Athens needs many more Present at the Battle of Marathon - learned that naval power would be key in the future Ground forces only effective with naval support Themistocles knows the Persians will attack again with more men and more ships 3

4 Necessary synergy between land and sea - Greek navy could protect a Greek army Problem was to convince others of his insight - generals were in denial Themistocles used strategy to save the Greek world Needed to convince Athenians of importance of ships - and then needed money Lucky strike when silver comes from mines in Laurenium 483 BC - Themistocles wants money from silver for ships Each Athenian was due to get ten drachma - significant sum Themistocles lies by saying that Aegina is a threat to Athenian merchants Voters support the building of ships through clever misdirection of the populace - lie worked Triremes - ninety feet long - light boat like a racing scull that could ram opponents Built for sped - open deck - three banks of oarsmen Front has a ram at the front - could move at 15 knots in order to ram Greeks now have 200 ships - but still heavily outnumbered 59:15 Themistocles takes great risk in assault - Greeks ships form a circle in the narrows - then attack Maneuver ships in order to ram and sink - try to smash oars then hit broadside Speed was most important - confined space allowed Greeks to do great damage Big psychological victory for Greeks in initial encounter - Persians did not expect to lose Xerxes feels shocked and embarrassed - losses on land and sea Storm comes at night - Persians disconsolate - and Persians ships sink rounding Euboea Second day of battle on land and sea - Xerxes decides to use his more senior troops The Immortals - silent and masked heavy infantry - Persian elite troops - 10,000 Armies stood fifty yards apart - Spartans raised shouts until Persians advance Greek lines hold fast under assault - Persian spears do not penetrate Greek armies But Greek spears do penetrate light Persian armor and wicker shields Greeks had advantage in close combat - Hoplite army was well trained and equipped - flexible Thousands of Persian troops die - pile up after every assault - they remain in the way Enormous Persian body count - Greeks in good shape after second day Themistocles again leads navy in the strait - can concentrate his force to the front Details of battle are unknown -but Greeks destroy many Persian ships Greek front continues to hold on land and sea - Xerxes grows frustrated 1:09:30 7,000 Greeks defend the Thermopylae pass - successful in blocking the Persians for two days Persians must find a way around the Spartan position Xerxes discovers a small path through the mountains - perhaps with help of a Greek spy Xerxes sends out 10,000 men at night in order to flank the Greeks Leonidas knew to position 1,000 Phocians on the line - but the Phocians withdrew Phocian retreat for defense of own city opened the way to doom of the Spartans Leonidas learns of Phocian withdrawal - then orders gradual retreat of small allied units Only the 300 Spartans and 1,000 Thespians remain at dawn in order to fight Thespians stayed to fight - though modern memory often forgets them Moment of allies retreating and Spartans moving forward Why did Leonidas pull some out and have others stay? Fulfillment of the Oracle was one reason - Leonidas had to save Sparta despite destined defeat Leonidas believes in Oracle - genuine religious sentiment But may also have provided covering force for a tactical retreat - buys an extra day Ultimate reason for the last stand is impossible to know - but last stand is remembered forever 4

5 1:16:00 Leonidas is trapped - has to make a last stand Spartans prepare calmly for battle - Persian scouts witness exercises and don t understand In fact, Spartans are preparing bodies for death Professional warriors welcomed the battle from a psychological and social perspective Herodotus describes final battle - Spartans advance into wider part of the pass Fought like madmen devoid of care for anything but the moment Phalanx fell apart in the midst of battle - Spartans no longer as strong in chaos Many likely used their swords in close quarters - or fought with anything at hand Great bravery of Dienekes and Leonidas But only a matter of time before the slaughter of the Spartans Leonidas eventually died in fulfillment of the Oracle - struck by Persian arrow - fell Battle over his body - four times back and forth - Dienekes gets it back Persian archers then find their targets - every Spartan is slaughtered Xerxes surveys battlefield after the loss of 20,000 men Orders that Leonidas head be put on a stake Heroic story of Leonidas remains memorable - great sacrifice in defense of country Xerxes now has a clear path to Athens - doom awaits for city 1:22:30 Leonidas and 300 Spartans are dead - nothing remains in defense of Athens Greek allies scatter - some go over to the Persian side Themistocles no longer must defend the strait - heads south to fight another day Athenians consult the Oracle - are told to flee to the furthest parts of the earth Or fight behind a wooden wall Meaning of Oracle is cryptic - some believe they should stay behind walls of the Acropolis But Themistocles believes the wooden wall refers to the navy Two months after Thermopylae Xerxes marches into Athens and burns the city Only a handful of Athenians had stayed behind - others retreated with Themistocles Xerxes gets revenge for Sardis But then Themistocles gets his own revenge at Salamis in naval battle Dispute about a possible Greek double agent who lured the Persians into the narrow strait Themistocles launches surprise attack - victorious Battle of Salamis is most important strategic victory in war - Xerxes needs to withdraw Persians leave and never return Greeks now grow emboldened - will win future battles at Platea (479), Mycale and Sestos Greeks chase the Persians back to Asia and then burn the pontoon bridge at the Hellespont Greeks keep the Persian cables at trophies - keep them in rebuilt Parthenon Greeks had put aside their differences and joined together in battle against Persians Fought as a unified country for the first time in their history at Thermopylae Greece moved from hodgepodge of small city-states into a Greek nation and culture Phillip of Macedon will formalize a Greek nation a century and a half later Alexander then will further spread Greek future and Western Civilization Nationalism made spread of culture possible - and Thermopylae made nationalism possible Leonidas succeeded in breaking the will of the Persians If Persians had won, democracy would have been stopped in its tracks Inconceivable that democracy would have arisen anywhere else Many value Spartan heroism - but real significance is what the battle did for the world 5

The Persian Empire. An Outsider Invader Threatens the Greek Mainland.

The Persian Empire. An Outsider Invader Threatens the Greek Mainland. The Persian Empire An Outsider Invader Threatens the Greek Mainland. Hello Sports Fans! Read Section 1: The Persian Empire 2. How did the Persians build their empire? Persia started in southwestern Iran