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Battle Of Thermopylae Essay

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Battle Of Thermopylae Essay
The Battle of Thermopylae was a key event that occurred between the Persians and Greeks, it was led by King Leondias and the Persian King, Xerxes. The battle took its course over three days, during the second invasion of Greece due to the Persians. The reason for the battle occurring was because the forces of Xerxes marched through Thrace and Macedon on their journey to Greece. In result, Leonidas confided in an Oracle whom predicted that he’d lose the war, but he still deemed the war to be necessary. Leonidas brought over 300 men of the Royal bodyguard to aid in the battle, the men he chose had sons that were able to carry on the family legacy; Leonidas did not want to die alone. The important players that participated in the battle were …show more content…
The glorious defeat resulted in the Persians winning and they were able to push their way through mainland Greece. Many states were turned over to the Persians and Athens due to their victory of the Battle of Thermopylae. The battle was technically a defeat for the Greek coalition, it was also a conquest. It marked the beginning of several important Greek victories against the Persians and represented a morale shift among the Greeks. Even though almost all of the 300 Spartans (two men had defected) had died, they had fought vigorously and valiantly, refusing to merely submit to the Persians. Encouraged by such Spartan actions, the other surviving Greeks fought with greater dynamism against the Persians (Basinger, Rachel). In conclusion the battle of Thermopylae was a major event in history. Although, the Greek forces were small, they were determined enough to still fight against the Persians with the high possibility of losing. The battle exemplifies the meaning of courage, the Greek men stood up to defend their country and willingly died serving it. The men faced the odds head on and although there were casualties, they went down in history as warriors. The story of the battle can easily equate to modern events that have occurred throughout the U.S. history such as

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