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Who/What/Where/When
Thermopylae
Definition: Land battle
that was a heroic stand by Spartans that fought off an
overwhelming Persian advance, enabling the remaining Greeks
to mobilize their forces and minimize their losses. The
Persians chose to pursue the Greeks through a narrow
mountain pass, where only a handful of Spartans were needed
to defend. The Spartans fought on long after they were
doomed to die, and they all fell in battle, partly because a
traitor showed the Persians a back passage through the
mountains.
Related
Resources:
The
Persian Wars: Greece's Finest
Hours
Get down to basics with this easy-to-read article describing
the Greeks' mighty struggles against the mighty Persians.
Includes maps and timeline, as well as interactive windows
describing each of the four important battles.
Ancient
Greece
Learn more about the area as a whole.
Elsewhere
on the Web:
About
Thermopylae
Some detail about the heroic defense.
Persian
Wars Timeline
Dates are always helpful in understanding wars.
Map
of the Battle
See the geography that made this heroic stand
possible.
Essays
on the Persian Wars
These essays give you the before, during, and after of the
wars.
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