The Battle of Thermopylae gained pop culture fame in 2006 when the movie 300 caught the attention of audiences. Although scholars had not neglected the battle prior to 2006, its popularity soared, at least temporarily. In the process, the Battle of Thermopylae (fought in 480 BCE) became a popular symbol of heroic resistance against overwhelming odds.

As readers might guess, however, the actual event was somewhat complicated. I’ll take it on faith that my readers don’t believe a motion picture was 100% accurate. But still, the Battle of Thermopylae was interesting for several reasons.

Who Fought in the Battle of Thermopylae?

You’d think it was 300 Spartans versus all of Persia, but that’s not quite right. Spartans fought, as did Persians. But so did Greek soldiers from Athens, Boeotia, Thebes, and a group of people called helots. More on them shortly.

What you remember that is correct is that the Persians had a lot more soldiers than the Greeks did. No one knows the true number of Persians. Maybe it was 70,000. Maybe it was twice that. The historian Herodotus put the Persian forces at 1,000,000. Then again, Herodotus also wrote that the Persian leader Xerxes whipped the Hellespont for not obeying him. I’m sure whipping the water was effective . . .

Total Greek forces were something like 7,000.

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Battle of Thermopylae Summary

The Greek plan was to block the narrow pass known as the Hot Gates—Thermopylae. They did this effectively for six days, minimizing the numerical advantage enjoyed by Persia. Simultaneously, they tried to engage the massive Persian fleet in the Straits of Artemisium. The Greek leader Themistocles reasoned that this would weaken the supplies needed by Persia for its invasion.

However, the Greek plan fell apart when a local showed the Persians how to avoid the Hot Gates and encircle the Greeks from behind. That is when the Spartan leader Leonidas sent the other forces into retreat while remaining to fight to the end. Several hundred men from Thebes and Boeotia remained as well. Regardless of the true number, it was more than 300.

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What Happened After the Battle of Thermopylae

This is the interesting part. The battle, while costly for the Persians, barely dented their invading force. They still outnumbered any Greek army in size. It was, therefore, a naval battle that foiled the Persian invasion. The Battle of Salamis (also 480 BCE) was a significant defeat for the Persians. Although their fleet was larger than the Greeks, the heavier Greek ships rammed and boarded the Persian vessels in the narrow waters of Salamis.

Following this naval victory, more Greeks united to oppose the Persians. The Persian land army suffered defeat the next year, 479 BCE, at Plataea.

Typically, much credit for this victory goes to the Greek leader Themistocles of Athens. Even though Athens had led the victory over Persia in a land battle at Marathon in 490 BCE, Themistocles had the foresight to realize that naval strength was the best defense against Persian invasion. Events proved him right.

Long-Term Importance

You might think that between 479 and Alexander the Great’s invasion of Persia more than 150 years later that not much happened between Greeks and Persians, but that would be wrong. Each side meddled in the affairs of the other frequently. Mercenary soldiers fought for both sides. But the Greeks and Persians did not have another major war like that of 490-479.

I wish I could write that respite from Persian invasion brought peace to Greece. But that would be wrong, too. The Greeks simply decided to fight each other.

How People View the Battle Today

This is another place where things are muddier than most people believe. The Battle of Thermopylae holds symbolism. Even though the Greeks lost, their defeat stands as an example of bravely fighting against long odds. Some also think of the Persian War as an example of freedom-loving Greeks against despotic Persians. It’s the second of these assumptions that we must challenge.

If the Spartans were the stars at Thermopylae, we’ll examine their society to see just how free it was. Spartan society had a rigid classification system. (Although, interestingly, Spartan society had a fair amount of equality within each social class.) It also had slaves, known as helots, whom the Spartans constantly terrorized for fear of rebellion. Their society revolved around militarism.

In the modern United States, we like to believe none of these things are true about American society. Americans like to believe their society has social mobility. We think of ourselves as a generally peaceful people, and the US has no underclass equivalent to the helots. (I know, we can argue at length about whether these things are actually true about America. But I’m looking at perception here.)

The Persian Empire, in contrast, was probably no more despotic than most. I’m no expert in Persian government in this era, but I’ve not read they were especially horrible toward their subject people. Some Greek leaders actually took refuge in Persia when domestic politics went against them. The Persians, knowing talent when they saw it, took in these leaders.

I hope this has helped clear up misconceptions about the Battle of Thermopylae. Other sources will have finer details about what happened. I encourage you to check them out. But my goal here is to help a general audience understand the basics of the battle, why it mattered, and how it still matters.

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