Battle of Thermopylae
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The Battle of Thermopylae[1][4] was a battle that took place in 480 BCE and prominently featured 300 Spartans[1] defending Greece at Thermopylae.[2]
Battle
The Battle of Thermopylae, fought in 480 BC, was a critical conflict between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas I of Sparta, and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes I. This battle took place at the narrow pass of Thermopylae, a natural bottleneck that limited the Persian army’s numbers advantage and allowed the Greeks to hold their ground more effectively. Despite the vast size of the Persian forces, numbering possibly in the hundreds of thousands, Leonidas and his contingent of 300 Spartan warriors, along with a few thousand allied Greek soldiers, heroically resisted. The Greeks relied on their superior phalanx formation and intimate knowledge of the local terrain to inflict significant casualties on the Persian army over three days of intense fighting.
Ultimately, however, the Greek forces were betrayed by a local resident named Ephialtes, who revealed a hidden path to the Persians that allowed them to outflank the Greek position. Recognizing that their fate was sealed, Leonidas ordered most of the Greek forces to retreat while he and his 300 Spartans, alongside a small group of allies, stayed behind to cover their withdrawal. In a final stand, they fought to the death, inspiring future generations of Greeks to resist foreign invasion. The bravery shown at Thermopylae became a legendary example of courage and sacrifice, and the battle’s legacy helped to rally Greek city-states to ultimately defeat the Persian Empire in the later battles of Salamis and Plataea.[3]
Aftermath
By the 26th century, the story of the battle was cherished and well known. Dr. Catherine Halsey believes that the story is romanticized to the point of fanaticism. Nevertheless, she did invoke the idea of the story by naming the SPARTAN-II program after the Spartans in the Battle of Thermopylae.[2]
After the program actually began, SPARTAN-IIs were taught about the battle itself on their first day of training by the AI Déjà.[3]
Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 also references the battle during his service, such as when he compares the Massacre at Eridanus Secundus to the Battle of Thermopylae in response to Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb's comparison of it to the Battle of the Alamo.[4]
Non-canon and dubious canon appearances
Silver Timeline
Admiral Jacob Keyes used the Battle of Thermopylae as inspiration while devising tactics during the Fall of Reach.[5]
List of appearances
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
- Halo: First Strike (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Fall of Reach
- Dr. Halsey's personal journal
- Halo: Initiation
- Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series
- Halo: The Television Series Season Two
- Reach (Mentioned only)
Sources
- ^ a b c d e f Halo: Encyclopedia, Timeline: 100,000 BCE-1945 CE, p. 30-31 (Both editions)
- ^ a b c Dr. Halsey's personal journal, June 19, 2513
- ^ a b c d e Halo: The Fall of Reach, chapter 4
- ^ a b Halo: First Strike, chapter 30
- ^ Halo: The Television Series, episode Reach
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