Battle of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae, also known as the Battle of the 300, was a military engagement in 480 BCE at Malis, in northern Greece, between the forces of the invading Achaemenid Empire of Xerxes I and a combined army of the free Greek states, whose supreme commander was King Leonidas I of Sparta.
The battle cost Leonidas his life and could not prevent the Persians from continuing onward to the city of Athens, making it a technical victory for Xerxes, but word of Leonidas' actions spread and immortalized him in legend, boosting the Greek morale and paving the way for an eventual Greek victory over the invaders.
==Prelude==
Following Darius I of Persia's defeat during the at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE,Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Tours: Battle of Marathon: "The Aftermath" Darius' son and successor Xerxes I actively began planning a second attempt. He was backed in this by the Cult of KosmosAssassin's Creed: Odyssey – Bully the Bullies and the Order of the Ancients, the latter of whom had previously supported Darius and had their own reasons for wanting the Greek world defeated.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted – Shadow of a Legend Upon ascending to the throne, Xerxes spent the next several years building up his military and naval forces in preparation. Finally, in 480 BCE the Persian emperor considered himself ready and invaded Greece by crossing the .Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Tours: Thermopylai: "The Battle of Thermopylai"
The Persians quickly overran Makedonia and Malis, making it as far as the Thermopylai before encountering significant resistance. This resistance took the form of a united Greek army under the command of King Leonidas I of Sparta, who had consulted the Pythia before the battle and defied the Cult's demand for him to not to go against their plans.
==Battle and outcome==
With the Persians forced to confront the Greeks head-on in the narrow pass, the Greek phalanx managed to not only hold the pass but inflict significant losses upon the Persian invaders. It was only the betrayal of Ephialtes, who showed the Persian a way around the pass and behind the Greek army, that tipped the balance in Xerxes' favor. At this point Leonidas, sensing the fear emanating from his Greek allies, sent all but his 300 Spartan warriors home. Eventually, the Persian forces overran and exterminated the Spartan warriors holding the pass, who died to a man. Leonidas himself also perished during the battle.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Memories Awoken
==Aftermath==
Spartans who were stationed at Thermopylae away from the battle felt they had missed a great opportunity to die a glorious death. Many of them chose to commit suicide rather than live dishonorably.Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Tours: Thermopylai: "The Greek Army's Retreat" Following the battle, it was said that Xerxes, who was famous for honoring warriors who fought valiantly against the Persians, had been so infuriated by Leonidas that he cut off his head and impaled it on a pike.
The Persian invasion of Greece continued after the Thermopylae, but it was eventually halted with the Greek victory at the Battle of Plataia in 479 BCE.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Historical Locations: "Boeotia: Battleground of Plataia"
==Behind the scenes==
Although it is widely believed that only 300 Spartans fought against the invading Persians at Thermopylae—a belief propagated in popular culture—contemporary historians placed anywhere from 5,100 (Herodotos) to 11,200 (Pausanias) Greeks at the battle. Modern estimates place 7,000 Greeks at Thermopylae. Likewise, estimates of the strength of the Persian forces vary depending on the source, with Herodotus wildly claiming in excess of two million Persian soldiers taking part, while modern estimates place anywhere between 120,000 to 300,000 troops.
==Gallery==
ACOD Persian Fleet.png|The Persian fleet during the battle
Memories Awoken - Battle of Thermopylai - Assassins Creed Odyssey.png
Memories Awoken - Fall of Leonidas - Assassins Creed Odyssey.png|Leonidas wounded
ACOd-Malis-HotGatesofThermopylaipass.jpg|The infamous pass around 431 BCE
DTAG - Painting of Leonidas at Thermopylai.png| by Jacques-Louis David
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Initiates 
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 
*Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece
*Assassin's Creed: Rebellion 
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories 
*Echoes of History 
==References==
zh:温泉关战役
fr:Bataille des Thermopyles
Category:Battles
Category:Timeline
Category:Greco-Persian Wars