When was king leonidas born

The Spartans ultimately lose this battle, but the fact that it caused the Persians to be delayed helped mobilize the Athenian Navy. Not only that, but this is looked at as one of the most brilliant naval victories of all time. After their second attempt to conquer Greece failed, the Persians left and never returned, and King Leonidas and the rest of the Spartans at Thermopylae played a big role in that. Categorized in: Ancient Greek History.

Share this Greek History Article:. Who Was Scylla in Greek Mythology? Jun 27th, Realizing they would soon be hit by Hydarnes' Immortals from the rear, Leonidas advanced past the Phocian wall into a wider part of the Pass in order to more fully deploy and inflict maximum damage on the enemy while there was still time.

According to Herodotus, the Persians had to drive their leading regiments on with whips against Leonidas's hoplites. Ranks and files were trampled to death by their comrades and many were driven into the sea to drown. Most of the hoplites had their spears broken in these intense encounters. In order to encourage his troops, Xerxes had sent two of his brothers into the fray to lead by example. Both of them were killed. At this point Leonidas fell, fighting no doubt, from the front rank in the tradition of a Spartan king.

Immediately, a struggle ensued over possession of his body. After pushing back four Persian attacks, the Greeks successfully claimed their King's remains.

At this juncture the Immortals were seen inside Thermopylae and closing. Herodotus claimed that the bravest Greek warrior left was Dieneces, who had said at the start of the campaign that if the Persians darkened the sky with arrows he would be pleased to fight in the shade.

If not Dieneces, it is certain that some Spartan notable bore, or ordered warriors to bear, Leonidas's body to the hill overlooking the wall that was to be the place of the last stand. As the Spartans and Thespians took their positions, the Thebans deserted to the Persians, who were deploying their regiments to fully surround the last of the Greeks.

In that spot the Greeks defended themselves with daggers—those who had any left—yes, and with their hands and teeth, and the barbarians buried them in missiles. The remains of the Greeks were eventually buried at or near the hillock of the last stand. It is possible the body of Leonidas was never found.

It is certain he was beheaded and the head impaled by the Persians as an example. In ancient times a lion statue was erected to Leonidas and three inscriptions were placed at the scene of battle, two of which are worthy of note: "Here is the place they fought, four thousand from Peloponesus, And here, on the other side, three hundred ten thousands against.

In the s, archaeological excavations unearthed hundreds of Persian arrowheads at the hill of the last stand. The lion statue and inscriptions were gone, but in a statue of a Greek hoplite stands, spear upraised, against Xerxes' order for the Greeks to surrender their weapons.

The inscription reads: "Come and get them. In the months after Thermopylae, the Persian navy was defeated at Salamis and thei mighty army at Plataea. After the battle of Plataea, the nephew of Leonidas, one Pausanius, was urged by a warrior to dismember the body of the Persian commander in the fashion done to his uncle.

Pausanius replied:. For Leonidas, whom you bid me avenge, I tell you he has been greatly avenged; he has found great honor in these countless souls here—both he himself and the others who died at Thermopylae.

Burn, A. Persia and the Greeks: The Defence of the West, c. Duckworth, All rights reserved. Pausanius replied: For Leonidas, whom you bid me avenge, I tell you he has been greatly avenged; he has found great honor in these countless souls here—both he himself and the others who died at Thermopylae.

The History. University of Chicago Press, Hignett, C. Xerxes' Invasion of Greece. Oxford University Press, Lazenby, J. The Spartan Army. Sign In. Famous quotes. Greek culture.

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During the Classical Period, Spartan government and society was somewhat complex, combing aspects of monarchy and representative, republican rule and also practicing slavery and infanticide. Leonidas was Anaxandridas II's son, the king of Sparta, with his niece. Leonidas followed a similar pattern when he married his half-brother, Cleomenes I's daughter, Gorgo. The Spartans actually had two kings who ruled them simultaneously.

Besides a king from the Agiad Dynasty, there was also a king from the Eurypontid Dynasty, which was named for an early ninth century king named Eurypon. Although Leonidas was born to his father's first wife, he was actually born after Cleomenes.