what advantages did persia have at the battle of thermopylae

The old track appears at the foot of the hills around the plain, flanked by a modern road. The Oracle is said to have made the following prophecy: O ye men who dwell in the streets of broad Lacedaemon! By the time Leonidus arrives at Thermopylae, the naval battle is well under way. [56] Some Peloponnesians suggested withdrawal to the Isthmus of Corinth and blocking the passage to Peloponnesus. What did the Persians do after The Battle of Thermopylae? After that, Xerxes sent a force of 10,000 Medes and Cissians to take the defenders prisoner and bring them before him. The location at which King Leonidas encamped was narrow in diameter and did not allow for the deployment of large infantry divisions, so the Persians lost their only advantage, that of numerical superiority. [16] For example, the military strategist Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart defers to Grundy. In mid-August, the Persian army was sighted across the Malian Gulf. [53] News also reached Leonidas, from the nearby city of Trachis, that there was a mountain track that could be used to outflank the pass of Thermopylae. Screenplay by Wendell Mayes, based on the novel "Incident at Muc Wa" by Daniel Ford. Delete Quiz. Herodotus’ magnificent writing have vividly explained one of the most exceptional battles, in addition to showing the world the incredible Greek society, and the ever so powerful Spartan army. It was a brutal battle which the Greeks (consisting of the Spartans and their allies) lost. "—as in answer to Xerxes' demand that the Greeks give up their weapons). "[84] The pass still is a natural defensive position to modern armies, and British Commonwealth forces in World War II made a defence in 1941 against the Nazi invasion mere metres from the original battlefield. It has also been proposed that the failure to retreat from Thermopylae gave rise to the notion that Spartans never retreated. [46], The Persian army seems to have made slow progress through Thrace and Macedon. [103] The path led from east of the Persian camp along the ridge of Mt. Map showing Greek and Persian advances to Thermopylae and Artemisium.. M. Trundle, “Thermopylae”, in: C. Matthew and M. Trundle (eds. [110] It seems that the Thespians volunteered to remain as a simple act of self-sacrifice, all the more amazing since their contingent represented every single hoplite the city could muster. Persian Archers by … The odds were in favor of the Persians in this battle… What Xerxes had not anticipated was that the Greeks held the tactical advantage at Thermopylae. It took place in a narrow gorge, called Thermopylae, where a group of 300 Spartan hoplites died heroically, blocking a way to the Persian army of the tsar Xerxes I. the Greeks defended the Thermopylae pass against the Persians. For the number of them that disappeared beneath the mud was great. By 480 BC, Xerxes had amassed a massive army and navy and set out to conquer all of Greece. [123] Meanwhile, the Greeks (for the most part Peloponnesians) preparing to defend the Isthmus of Corinth, demolished the single road that led through it and built a wall across it. [43] A force of 10,000 hoplites was dispatched to the Vale of Tempe, through which they believed the Persian army would have to pass. [109] Also present were the 400 Thebans and probably the helots who had accompanied the Spartans. [61] The Greeks fought in front of the Phocian wall, at the narrowest part of the pass, which enabled them to use as few soldiers as possible. These accounts are obviously not verifiable, but they form an integral part of the legend of the battle and often demonstrate the laconic speech (and wit) of the Spartans to good effect. Although the Persian empire was at the peak of its strength, the collective defense mounted by the Greeks overcame seemingly impossible odds and even succeeded in liberating Greek city-states on the fringe of Persia … Classical Sparta: the monument to the Thespians is placed beside the one to the that... Spartans, de facto leaders of Sparta by not retreating these were both feats exceptional. Met that fall to form an alliance of Greek city-states, led by Athens and Sparta, assembled fleet. Muc Wa '' by Daniel Ford surging forward, they would have the power to envoys! [ 114 ] the path were stunned to see the advancing Persians rise to the Thespians is placed the... ] they fought with spears, until every spear was shattered, and who! The Thebans have also been the subject of much discussion what advantages did persia have at the battle of thermopylae mainland Greece between 490 and 479 with Herodotus writings... 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