Two kings. Two very different powers. One narrow pass that became one of the most famous battlefields in history.
In the summer of 480 BC, the Spartan king Leonidas and the Persian king Xerxes I faced each other at Thermopylae — a narrow coastal pass that became the setting for one of the most famous last stands in ancient history.
Who was Leonidas, king of Sparta?
Leonidas I was a king of Sparta from the Agiad royal house. He succeeded his half-brother Cleomenes I around 490 BC and became one of the most famous figures in ancient Greek history because of his role at Thermopylae.
Leonidas had grown up within Spartan society and married Gorgo, the daughter of King Cleomenes. Ancient sources remember Gorgo as an unusually perceptive Spartan woman, and Herodotus preserves several stories about her political awareness.
When the Persian invasion reached Thermopylae, Leonidas commanded a Greek force that included 300 selected Spartan hoplites. They were not the entire Greek army. Several thousand other Greek soldiers were also present, including contingents from the Peloponnese, Thespiae, Thebes and elsewhere.
Leonidas’ fame rests on what happened when the Greek position was outflanked. Rather than simply retreating with the rest of the army, he remained with the men who stayed behind for the final battle.
His name is also inseparably connected with “Molon Labe” — “Come and take them.” The saying is attributed to Leonidas by the later writer Plutarch, although Herodotus does not record the exchange in his account of Thermopylae. Our Molon Labe guide explores the phrase, its meaning and its historical tradition.
Who was Xerxes, king of Persia?
Xerxes I was king of the Achaemenid Persian Empire from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son of Darius I and Queen Atossa and inherited an enormous empire stretching across much of the ancient Near East and beyond.
Xerxes inherited his father’s unfinished campaign against Greece. Darius had invaded Greece in 490 BC but suffered defeat at Marathon. A decade later, Xerxes launched a much larger invasion by land and sea.
The Persian army crossed the Hellespont on two enormous pontoon bridges before moving south through Thrace and Macedonia. The exact size of Xerxes’ army remains one of the most debated questions surrounding the invasion.
Ancient sources give enormous numbers that modern historians generally regard as unrealistic. Modern estimates vary considerably, but the Persian force was unquestionably much larger than the Greek force defending Thermopylae.
That imbalance made the geography of Thermopylae extremely important. The narrow coastal passage restricted the Persian army’s ability to exploit its numerical superiority.
The clash at Thermopylae, 480 BC
Leonidas and his Greek allies took up position at Thermopylae, the narrow passage known in Greek as the “Hot Gates.” The Greek force included 300 Spartans, but the Spartans were only one part of a larger coalition numbering several thousand men.
For two days, the Greeks successfully held the narrow position against repeated Persian attacks. The terrain prevented the much larger Persian army from surrounding the Greek phalanx from the front.
Then everything changed.
A local Greek named Ephialtes revealed a mountain path known as the Anopaia route to the Persians. The path allowed Persian troops to move around the Greek position and threaten the defenders from behind.
When Leonidas learned that the Greek position was being outflanked, most of the allied force was dismissed. Leonidas remained with the 300 Spartans and the 700 Thespians, while a contingent of Thebans also remained with the force.
The final battle was fought after the Persian army had gained the advantage of the mountain route. Leonidas was killed, and the remaining defenders fought around his body before being overwhelmed.
Herodotus records that Xerxes later ordered Leonidas’ body to be treated with unusual dishonor, having his head cut off and his body crucified. The story illustrates the bitterness of the conflict — but it also comes from the ancient historical tradition and should not be confused with the more elaborate scenes invented by modern films.
The 700 Thespians: the part of the story often forgotten
The legend of Thermopylae is usually called the story of the 300 Spartans. But they were not alone.
About 700 Thespians remained with Leonidas for the final stand. Their role is particularly important because they were not simply Spartan soldiers fulfilling the obligations of their own king. They were allies from the nearby city of Thespiae who chose to remain when the Greek position became indefensible.
The Thespians are one reason the historical story is more interesting than the Hollywood version. Thermopylae was not simply 300 Spartans against Persia. It was a coalition of Greeks, with the Spartans becoming the most famous symbol of the final stand.
The aftermath: what happened after Thermopylae?
Thermopylae was a Persian victory. Xerxes’ army continued south, captured Athens and temporarily controlled much of central Greece.
- Salamis, 480 BC: the Greek fleet defeated a much larger Persian naval force in the waters near Salamis. The victory forced Xerxes to withdraw with much of his army.
- Plataea, 479 BC: a large Greek army, commanded by the Spartan regent Pausanias, defeated the Persian forces under Mardonius on land.
The Persian invasion therefore continued well after Thermopylae. The eventual Greek victories at Salamis and Plataea turned the course of the campaign and forced the Persian invasion to retreat.
So did Leonidas “win”?
No — not militarily. Xerxes won Thermopylae. But Leonidas’ stand became one of the most powerful symbols of resistance in ancient Greek history, remembered for centuries as an example of courage, sacrifice and obedience to duty.
Movie vs history: Leonidas and Xerxes in 300
The 2006 film 300 transformed Thermopylae into a highly stylized fantasy of ancient Sparta. The real battle was dramatic enough without the Hollywood additions.
- Leonidas was real: he was a Spartan king who commanded the Greek force at Thermopylae.
- The 300 were real: 300 Spartan citizens accompanied Leonidas.
- The Persian invasion was real: Xerxes really did invade Greece in 480 BC.
- Ephialtes was real: a local Greek named Ephialtes revealed the mountain route that allowed the Persians to outflank the Greek position.
- The three-day battle was real: the fighting at Thermopylae unfolded over three days.
- The giant monsters and supernatural warriors were not: the film deliberately turned the ancient battle into graphic-novel fantasy.
The biggest difference is perhaps the simplest one: the real Thermopylae was a battle between large armies and a coalition of Greek city-states, not simply 300 Spartans standing alone against an entire empire.
Stand where Leonidas fought
Today you can visit Thermopylae and stand near the site associated with the final battle.
The modern Leonidas Monument stands at Thermopylae, while the nearby Hill of Kolonos marks the area traditionally associated with the final stand. The famous epitaph of Simonides commemorates the fallen:
“Stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that we lie here, obedient to their laws.”
The landscape has changed dramatically since 480 BC. Deposits from the Spercheios River have transformed what was once a narrow passage beside the sea. The modern site nevertheless preserves the memory of the battle and its defenders. ([hh.gr](https://www.hh.gr/en/destinations/thermopylae/))
In modern Sparta, the bronze Leonidas Monument offers another connection to the Spartan king. You can combine ancient Sparta, the Leonidas story and Byzantine Mistras on a private day trip from Athens with our Sparta & Mistras day trip from Athens.
Want to dive deeper? Read our guide to the 300 Spartans in film vs history.
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Good to know
Who was more powerful, Leonidas or Xerxes?
Xerxes, by an enormous margin. He ruled the Achaemenid Persian Empire and commanded an invasion force vastly larger than the Greek force at Thermopylae. Leonidas’ advantage was not resources but the defensive terrain of the pass and the ability of the Greek hoplites to fight effectively in a narrow space.
Did Leonidas and Xerxes ever meet in person?
There is no reliable ancient evidence that Leonidas and Xerxes met face to face. Herodotus does not describe such a meeting. The famous exchange over the weapons is attributed to Leonidas by Plutarch, but Plutarch presents it as an exchange of written messages rather than a personal confrontation.
How did Leonidas die?
Leonidas died during the final fighting at Thermopylae after the Persian army had been shown the mountain route around the Greek position. Herodotus describes fierce fighting over his body before the Greeks were finally driven back. The surviving defenders were eventually overwhelmed by the Persian forces.
What did “Molon Labe” mean in their exchange?
Molon Labe means “Come and take them.” The phrase is attributed to Leonidas by Plutarch. However, it is important to distinguish the later tradition from Herodotus’ account: Herodotus does not record the famous exchange in his history of the battle.
How many Spartans fought at Thermopylae?
Leonidas took 300 Spartan citizens with him to Thermopylae. They formed only part of the Greek force. Several thousand other Greek soldiers were also present, including about 700 Thespians who remained for the final stand.
Can I visit Thermopylae and Sparta in one day?
They can technically be combined in a very long private day, but they are geographically separate destinations and are usually better experienced as separate day trips. Thermopylae works naturally with Delphi, while Sparta pairs especially well with Mistras. A multi-day itinerary is the most comfortable way to see both areas.