Thermopylae

As the Greeks wage endless battle in the Persian Wars, many battles fought although some are key battles are over looked and underappreciated big time. The first battle that comes to mind when talking about being underappreciated is “The hot gates” or the battle of Thermopylae. Here as the great and well known Spartans fight courage’s and fearless battle, the sacrifice these men made was over looked greatly by all of Greece. Clearly without the three day stand at Thermopylae subsequent battles in the Persian Wars would not have turned in the Greeks favor, thus changing Western civilization.

Now as Persia works its way over, crossing the Aegean Sea into Macedonia, the Persian’s are out to punish the Athens for their wealthy uprising. They land near a city-state called Marathon, quickly Darius, ruler of the Persian Empire, takes no time in attacking leaving the Greek state crying out in help to their neighboring city-states but receiving little help. The large numbering force of Darius’s attack outnumbered the Athenian’s. With what little force the Athens could muster, the handful of men rushes to the Persian front lines, rushing through a mass rain of arrows, the Athens amazingly broke the Persian lines. The un-expected quick assault on the Persian’s leaves them with a loss at the battle of Marathon.

Before Darius could go about finishing his anger driven attack on Greece he soon dies after the battle at Marathon, but leaving his empire and army to his son, Xerxes, he would not let his father down. In 480 B.C. he sends a much larger force to rule all of Greece and by this time Sparta is introduced to the war, persuaded by Athens to join them in the fight against Persia. The mighty Spartans lead by King Leonidas, only taking a small Spartan force to protect the “hot gates”. Forcing Xerxes to fight if he wants to continue his father’s