Thermopylae to Salamis: The Week That Saved Greece

In 480 BC a Greek force of 300 Spartans and about 7,000 allies held the pass at Thermopylae for three days against an invading Persian army reckoned at over 100,000 men. Leonidas and his 300 died nearly to a man, but the delay let Athens evacuate and set up the naval ambush at Salamis, where the Persian fleet was shattered. Read both engagements in the battle database and trace how one week on land and sea decided the future of classical Greece..

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