What was the Battle of Thermopylae?

Get ready for the ultimate showdown in ancient history! Join Mira and Finn as we travel back to 480 BCE to witness one of the most incredible last stands ever! Imagine a small group of just 300 Spartan warriors facing off against a massive Persian army led by the powerful King Xerxes. King Leonidas and his soldiers had to make a big decision: give up or stand their ground? They chose to fight! They defended a narrow mountain pass called the Hot Gates, using their shields and incredible strength to hold back thousands and thousands of soldiers. Even though they were totally outnumbered, the Spartans refused to quit! Their courage bought enough time for the rest of Greece to prepare their defenses and save their homes. It’s a story filled with shiny armor, secret mountain paths, and a king who never backed down! Was it enough to stop the Persian empire? Tune in to find out how these 300 heroes changed history forever! It is going to be legendary!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to History is Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. And today we are talking about the ultimate showdown.

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Imagine standing in a narrow mountain pass just 50 feet wide. In front of you is an army so big that when they fire their arrows, it literally turns the sky black.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

Wait, they blocked out the sun! That sounds like a bad day for a picnic.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Exactly! And there are hundreds of thousands of them, while you only have a tiny group of friends. But instead of running, you just look at them and say, come and take our weapons.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

No way! That's like me trying to defend my last cookie from a whole swarm of giant ants.

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Today we're travelling back 2,504 years to the year 480 BCE to witness the legendary battle of Thermopylae.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Thermopylae? That sounds like a brand of fancy socks.

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It actually means the hot gates, because of the bubbling sulphur springs nearby. And with the summer heat and the massive battle about to happen, things were about to get very hot indeed. So the big boss here is King Xerxes I of Persia. He wanted to take over all of Greece. He didn't just bring a small group, he brought an army that some ancient historians said was 2.5 million people strong.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Two and a half million? Mira, if they all stood in a line, they'd stretch from New York all the way to like the moon?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Not quite the moon, but modern historians think it was closer to 150,000 soldiers. Still, that's enough to fill a massive football stadium twice over.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

That is still way too many people to fight. What did the Greeks have? Like five guys and a very angry goat?

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Close! King Leonidas of Sparta led about 7,000 Greek soldiers, but the stars of the show were the 300 Spartans. These guys were professional warriors who started training when they were only seven years old.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Seven? That's my age. Do I have to start fighting giant armies now? No, Finn.

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But for a Spartan boy, that meant leaving home to live in a barracks, sleeping on reeds they pulled from the river, and practicing with heavy shields that weighed 15 pounds.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

I bet it was full of bugs and slime.

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Ew. It was tough, but it made them the strongest soldiers in the world. They used a tactic called the phalanx. Imagine a human wall of bronze shields, all locked together so tightly, not even a mouse could squeeze through.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

So they were like a giant metal angry turtle.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Exactly! And Leonidas chose the perfect spot, a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea. At its skinniest point, the path was only wide enough for one wagon to pass at a time. When King Xerxes arrived, he couldn't believe his eyes. He sent a scout on a horse to see what the Spartans were doing. Want to guess what they were doing right before the battle?

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Sharpening their swords? Doing push-ups? Eating a protein bar?

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They were actually brushing their long hair and exercising. They wanted to look their best for the biggest fight of their lives.

unknown 3:36

Haha!

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Brushing their hair! I can barely get a comb through mine without crying, and they're doing it while a giant army watches.

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Xerxes waited four whole days, thinking the Greeks would run away. He even sent a message saying, hand over your weapons. Leonidas sent back just two words. Molon Labe. Melon Lobby? Is that a fruit store? No, it means come and take them. On the fifth day, Xerxes lost his patience and sent 10,000 soldiers to clear the path. But because it was so narrow, the Persians couldn't use their huge numbers. Oh, like when everyone tries to run through the classroom door at once and we all get stuck. Precisely. The Greek shields are made of wood, covered in bronze, while the Persians had lighter shields made of wicker, basically woven baskets. The Greek spears were longer too, about seven to nine feet long.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Nine feet? That's taller than a basketball hoop pole. They could poke you from a mile away.

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For two days, the Persians attacked in waves. Xerxes even sent in his elite guards, called the Immortals. There were always exactly 10,000 of them. If one died, another took his place immediately. It's like they were ghosts or clones. But even the immortals couldn't break the Spartan wall. Xerxes was so frustrated, he jumped up from his throne three times in fear for his army. But then, a local man named Ephialtes did something terrible. He told the Persians about a secret mountain path that led right behind the Greek army. No, a traitor, that's the worst. Now they're going to be surrounded. Leonidas found out and realised they were trapped. He told most of the Greek army to leave, so they could live to fight another day. But he and his 300 Spartans stayed. They were joined by 700 thespians who refused to leave them.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Wait, they knew they couldn't win, and they stayed anyway. Why?

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Because they knew that every hour they held the pass, the rest of Greece had more time to prepare their navy and their cities. They were sacrifice heroes, Finn.

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That's actually really brave. I hope they had a good breakfast that day.

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Leonidas famously told his men to eat a good breakfast, because they would have dinner in the underworld. On the third day, the Persians attacked from both sides. The Spartans fought until their spears snapped. Then they used their short swords. In the end, all 300 Spartans and the Thespians were lost. But they had held off the massive Persian army for three full days. Xerxes was so angry, he had lost about 20,000 of his own men just to get through that one little pass.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

20,000? That's like a whole town of people lost because of 300 brave warriors. That is incredible.

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It sent a message to the Persians that the Greeks would never, ever surrender. It gave the Greek navy time to win the Battle of Salamis just a few weeks later. The impact of those three days lasted forever. Today there's a monument at Thermopylae with a poem that says, Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

People still talk about them 2,500 years later. That's better than being famous on YouTube.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Definitely. Did you know the Spartans were so obsessed with bravery that mothers would tell their sons, come back with your shield or on it.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Meaning either win the battle or be carried home because you didn't run away.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Exactly. And here's a weird fact: Sparta didn't have any walls around their city. When people asked why, the king said, Sparta's walls are its men.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

That is so cool. But also, I'd probably want at least a little fence to keep the stray cats out.

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And get this, the Spartans were famous for being laconic. That means they talked in very short, snappy sentences. Like when a nearby king threatened to invade and said, if I enter your lands, I will level your city. What did the Spartans say back?

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A big long speech? They sent back a message with just one word. If. Oh man, that is the ultimate mic drop moment from ancient history. Alright, Finn, time for the quiz. Are you ready?

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I've got my bronze shield ready. Let's do it! First question. In what year did the Battle of Thermopylae take place? Next one. What does the name Thermopylae actually mean in English? Question three. Who was the Spartan king who led the 300 warriors? Here's number four. What was the name of the elite Persian unit that had exactly 10,000 soldiers? Last question. What was the name of the traitor who showed the Persians the secret mountain path? Great job! Let's see how you did with the answers. The first answer is the battle happened in 480 BCE. For question two, Thermopylae means the hot gates. Number three, the answer is King Leonidas. Question four, they were called the Immortals. And the final answer is the traitor's name was Ephialtes.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Wow, Mira! I never thought 300 people could make such a big difference in the world. It's like they were the superheroes of ancient Greece.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

They really were, Finn. It just goes to show that courage isn't about being the biggest or having the most people. It's about standing your ground for what you believe in.

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Speaking of standing your ground, I'm standing my ground on how awesome this show is. If you liked learning about the Spartans, please give us a five-star review.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

It really helps other kids find our stories. Just scroll down on your app and tap those five stars. It's faster than a Spartan spear strike.

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And don't forget to visit our site, kidopoly.com. We have tons of cool games and fun activities to check out after you finish the episode.

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If you have a question or want a shout out, email us at hello at kidopoly.com. We'd love to hear from you. See you next time on History's Not Boring. Bye everyone.