Battle of Thermopylae
480 BCE · Greece
The Battle of Thermopylae was fought in 480 BCE in Greece between Greek city-states led by Sparta vs the Achaemenid Persian Empire; Persian victory; the Greek rearguard was annihilated after three days.
Battle of Thermopylae: quick facts
- Date
- 480 BCE
- Location
- Greece
- Belligerents
- Greek city-states led by Sparta vs the Achaemenid Persian Empire
- Commanders
- Leonidas I vs Xerxes I
- Result
- Persian victory; the Greek rearguard was annihilated after three days.
- Era
- 🏺 Ancient Greece & Rome
- Quiz difficulty
- easy
What happened at the Battle of Thermopylae?
King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, along with several thousand Greek allies, held the narrow pass at Thermopylae against Xerxes' massive Persian army for three days. Their sacrifice bought time for Greece to prepare its defenses. Though all 300 Spartans perished, their bravery became legendary, immortalized by the epitaph: 'Go tell the Spartans that here we lie, obedient to their laws.'
Did you know?
The narrow pass at Thermopylae was so constricted that the Persian numerical advantage was meaningless. Today, centuries of silt deposits have pushed the coastline miles out, making the pass unrecognizable.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Thermopylae on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.