Battlefield of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae took place in 480 BCE at the Thermopylae mountain pass in central Greece. A small Greek force, led by Sparta, fought against the Persian Empire under King Xerxes I. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held the pass for three days before ultimately being overrun by the Persians. Though defeated, the heroic stand of King Leonidas and his warriors became legendary, immortalized by the epitaph “Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here we lie, having answered our common oaths.” The battle symbolized courage and resistance against overwhelming odds.