very valuable infomation regarding the numbers, causes and ups and dows of the war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae
Failure of the frontal assault
Xerxes I sent in the Medes who had been only recently conquered by the Persians, perhaps, as Diodorus Siculus suggested, because he wanted them to bear the brunt of the fighting.[30] The Medes soon found themselves in a frontal assault. The Greeks had camped on either side of the rebuilt Phocian wall. That the wall was guarded shows that the Greeks were using it to establish a reference line for the battle, but they fought in front of it.[31]
Details of the tactics are scant. The Greeks probably deployed in a phalanx), a wall of overlapping shields and layered spearpoints, spanning the width of the pass. Herodotus says that the units for each state were kept together.[32]) The Persians, armed with arrows and short spears, could not break through the long spears of the Greek phalanx, nor were their lightly armoured men a match for the superior armour, weaponry, and discipline of the Greek hoplites.
Glotz has argued that three Persian Empire soldiers were necessary to put down one hoplite.
Yet there are some indications the Greeks did not fight entirely in close formation. They made use of the feint to draw in the Medes, pretending to retreat in disorder only to turn suddenly and attack the pursuing Medes. In this way they killed so many Medes that Xerxes is said to have started up off the seat from which he was watching the battle three times.
According to Herodotus and Diodorus, the Persian emperor, having taken the measure of the enemy, threw his best troops into a second assault: the Immortals an elite corps of 10,000 men.[36] However, according to Ctesias, the Immortals did not attack until the second day. Ctesias tells that Xerxes sent another 20,000 troops against the Greeks, after the first 10,000 were defeated, who also failed to open the pass even though they were flogged by their leaders to keep on attacking.[29]
On his side, Leonidas had arranged a system of relays between the hoplites of the various cities so as to constantly have fresh troops on the front line. In the heat of the battle, however, the units did not get a chance to rotate. Able to approach the Greek line only in such numbers as the space allowed, the Immortals fared no better than the Medes, and Xerxes had to withdraw them as well. The first day of battle probably ended there.[37]
On the second day Xerxes sent, according to Ctesias, another 50,000 to assault the pass. Again they failed. The account of the slain gives some indication why: the wall of bodies must have broken up the Persian line and detracted from their morale. Climbing over the bodies, they could see that they had stepped into a killing machine but the officers behind prevented them from withdrawing. Xerxes at last stopped the assault and withdrew to his camp, totally perplexed. By now he concluded that a head-on confrontation against Spartan-led troops in a narrow place was the wrong approach.[29]
Encirclement of the Greeks
Late on the second day of battle, as the Persian king was pondering what to do next, he received a windfall: a Malian Greek traitor named Ephialtes informed him of a path around Thermopylae and offered to guide the Persian army through the pass. Ephialtes was motivated by the desire of a reward. For this act, the name of Ephialtes received a lasting stigma, coming to mean “nightmare” and becoming the archetypal term for a “traitor” in Greek.[38]
Xerxes I sent his commander Hydarnes through the pass with the Immortals and other troops (a force of about 40,000), according to Ctesias.[29] The path led from east of the Persian camp along the ridge of Mt. Anopaea behind the cliffs that flanked the pass. It branched with one path leading to Phocis and the other down to the Gulf of Malis at Alpenus, first town of Locris. Leonidas had stationed 1,000 Phocian volunteers on the heights to guard that path.[39]
Despite their indignation in not being on the front lines and their determination to defend Thermopylae, the Phocians were not expecting an attack on the rear guard: there were no advance positions, sentinels, or patrols. Their first warning of the approach of the Immortals under Hydarnes was the rustling of oak leaves at first light on the third day of the battle. Herodotus says that they “jumped up” (suggesting that the Greek force was still asleep) and were “greatly amazed” (which no alert unit should have been).[40] Hydarnes was perhaps as amazed to see them hastily arming themselves as they were to see him and the Persian forces. He feared that they were Spartans, but was enlightened by Ephialtes and proceeded by firing “showers of arrows” at them. The Phocians retreated to the crest of the mountain to make their stand, not realizing that this strategy would allow the Persians to take the left branch of the pass to Alpenus and hence circle behind the main Greek force.[40])
Final stand of the Spartans and Thespians
Before first light, Leonidas learned that the Phocians had not held and he called a council of war at dawn. During the council some Greeks argued for withdrawal in the face of the overwhelming Persian advance, while others pledged to stay. After the council, many of the Greek forces did choose to withdraw. Herodotus believed that Leonidas blessed their departure with an order, but he also offered the alternate point of view that those retreating forces departed without orders.[41] The Spartans had pledged themselves to fight to the death, while the Thebans were held as hostage against their will. However, a contingent of about 700 Thespians, led by general Demophilus, the son of Diadromes, refused to leave with the other Greeks, but cast their lot with the Spartans.[42]) Unknown and unremembered by most, 900 Helots died fighting alongside their masters in the last stand.[1]
Ostensibly, the Spartans were obeying their oath and following the oracle of Delphi (see below). However, it might also have been a calculated strategy to delay the advance of the Persians and cover the retreat of the Greek army. Once the pass was cleared the Persians could use their cavalry to pursue and stop the retreat of the Greek infantry in the more open terrain. Infantry cannot outrun cavalry; once halted in the open, the Greeks could be overwhelmed by superior numbers. In fact, with the Persians so close at hand, the decision to stand and fight was probably a tactical requirement only made more palatable by the oracle.[15])
At dawn Xerxes made libations. He paused to allow the Immortals sufficient time to descend the mountain, and then began his advance.[43]
Size of the Greek army
According to Herodotus,[67] the Greek army included the following forces:
Units Numbers
Spartans 300, Mantineans 500, Tegeans 500, Arcadian Orchomenos 120, Other Arcadians 1,000, Corinthians 400, Phlians 200, Mycenaeans 80, Thespians 700, Thebans 400, Phocians 1,000, Opuntian Locrians 13, Total 5,200+
To this number must be added 1,000 other Lacedemonians mentioned by Diodorus Siculus and perhaps 800 auxiliary troops from other Greek cities, bringing the total up to 7,000. Diodorus gives 4,000 as the total of Greek troops, and Pausanias.
Modern historians, who usually consider Herodotus more reliable, prefer his claim of 7,000 men. This changed later on in the battle as, under orders, the entire army, save the Spartans, Helots, Thespians, and Thebans, retreated.
Size of the Persian army
Fleet crew 517,610 Infantry 1,700,000, Cavalry 80,000, Arabs and Libyans 20,000, Greek troops allied with Persians 324,000 Total 2,641,610
Primary sources
Xerxes I, king of Persia, had been preparing for years to continue the Greco-Persian Wars started by his father King Darius. In 481 BC, after four years of preparation, the Persian army and navy arrived in Asia Minor.
A bridge of ships had been made at Abydos. This allowed the land forces to cross the Hellespont.
Herodotus of Halicarnassus, who wrote the first history of this war, gave the size of Xerxes’s army as follows:
Units Numbers Fleet crew 517,610 Infantry 1,700,000, Cavalry 80,000, Arabs and Libyans 20,000, Greek troops allied with Persians 324,000 Total 2,641,610
This is the account for the land armies present at Thermopylae. Regarding the total number of forces Xerxes I assembled to invade Greece (land army, fleet crew, etc.), this number is nearly doubled in order to account for support troops and thus Herodotus reports that the total Persian force numbered 5,283,220 men,[59] a figure which is regarded as erroneous by modern estimations. The poet Simonides, who was a near-contemporary, talks of four million. Ctesias of Cnidus, Artaxerxes II of Persia‘s personal physician, wrote a history of Persia according to Persian sources one century later that unfortunately has not survived, and gives 800,000 as the total number of the original army that met in Doriskos, Thrace after crossing the Hellespont.
Modern estimates
Modern scholars have given different estimates based on knowledge of the Persian military systems, their logistical capabilities, the Greek countryside, and supplies available along the army’s route. Some modern estimations tend to consider the figures given in ancient texts as miscalculations or exaggerations on the part of the victors.
Grote, Mitchell Cary and Cartledge assume that if Herodotus’ 300,000 estimate at Plataea were to be accepted, then the land army at Thermopylae may not have surpassed 500,000, which accounts for one fifth of Herodotus’ record.[60] Others give an upper limit of 250,000 total land forces and 500,000 for the expedition. One of the main reasons often given for these values is a lack of water. Sir Frederick Maurice,[61] was among the first to propose that the army could not have surpassed 175,000 due to this reason, at a time when hydrological data on Greek rivers was unavailable. Another reason he suggested was that it may have been impossible for an army of 210,500 (150,500 combatants and 60,000 non-combatants) to camp in an area of a few square miles.[61] A widely supported view holds that Herodotus may have confused the Persian terms for chiliarchy and myriarchy (one thousand, and ten thousand) The topic has been controversial but modern consensus suggests a range of 60,000 to 300,000 for the land force figures according to Thomas Kelly,[2] though higher and lower estimates have been suggested by several scholars,[63] but more popular views support ranges between 100,000-150,000 or 150,000-200,000.[64] The topic has been hotly debated but the consensus among Western historians revolves around the figure of 200,000 according to Philip De Souza.[64] All these estimates concern the land forces alone, whereas the entire Persian presence in Greece, including support troops and fleet crew, would almost double the number.
Some historians have suggested numbers higher and lower than the modern consensus. At the higher end of modern estimates, some historians begin with the assumption that Herodotus is accurate in claiming that Mardonius led a remnant of 300,000 Persians the next year in the battle of Plataea and thus Xerxes led a larger army at Thermopylae. Kampouris claims that Ctesias’ 800,000 figure was accurate [65] as does Stecchini while Despotopoulos and Romas believe that the army numbered little more than 400,000. At the lower end of modern estimates, some historians have suggested numbers lower than 60,000
The numbers given by Herodotus on the Persian fleet are considered largely realistic. It is generally maintained that Herodotus or his sources had access to official Persian Empire records of the forces involved in the expedition, and it is more likely the numbers on the fleet were given precisely, whereas the contingent of the army may have been listed in general terms rather than exact figures.
Whatever the real numbers were, it is clear that Xerxes I was anxious to ensure a successful expedition by mustering an overwhelming numerical superiority by land and by sea.
I found this interesting little bit of info, really quite amazing of how monuments were also put up of Leonidas and for Thespians for their last stand in the Battle of Thermopylae.
More info, one person’s perspective.
Many inaccurate historical events found in 300.
1. Immortals were mounted medium calvery, and they fought the 1000 phociens from the south mountains.
2.Spartans had body armor, and didn’t wear sandols, they were on bare foot.
3.Spartans had to resort in biting and punching as their weapons broke in the battle.
4. Leonardos fell in battle, so they fought over his body.
5. Persion fleet never arrived ar coast, they were busy from Athenian navy.
6. There is a gross exageration over the number of Persians.
7. Shield (hoplon, dispus) was chin to knee, not that big.
8. Persians shown great bravery in battle aswell as Spartans.
9. Spartans never threw their spears, as Leonardoes did.
10. The helmet design is wrong I THINK, isn’t the cresent side ways in Spartan tradition.
11. Xerxes didn’t look like that.
12. They never formed a bubble, a circle at the end i think.
13. Thermoylae was a loss for Greece, then the persians advanced to Athens to conquer it. ( in the end of the movie didn’t they claim they fought them again with reinforcements and won?).
14. Persians not that weak.
15. Spartans had LOTS of helots with them for light infantry.
16. Immortals barely killed much Phocians in battle maybe a few.
17. Spartans didn’t handle the battle as skillfully they did in the battle.
18. There weren’t any mutants or freaks = ).
19.The battle was poorly renacted.
The movie is biased on Greeks side. I seems that the producer is a Greek who has a grudge or enmity on the Persians, as the Persians did kill many Greeks in the invasian of Athens.
There are many more inaccuracies, but if im wrong please correct me or share your opinions too.
PERSON ABOVE’S VIEWS IS VERY DEBATABLE!!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1805193/posts
