300 The Musical

The Last Stand at Thermopylae Because of the size of the force, the Persian advance moved at a leisurely pace. By the time they reached Mount Olympus, months had passed. August was an inconvenient time of year for the Spartans to engage in a fight. Sparta held both their Carneia and Olympics during this month, and believed forgoing these events would offend the gods. With the advance of a foreign force, offending the gods was the last thing the Spartans wanted to do. They had to reach a compromise.

As a result, the full Spartan army could not advance towards Thermopylae. Instead, their king, Leonidas, took small force of 300 combat-hardened veterans. With this compromise reached, the veterans set out along with 300 Helots, or slaves. The 300 Spartan hoplites never intended to hold the pass alone. They relied on 700 warriors from Thespiae and 440 from Thebes to fill their ranks. When combined with other Greek forces that met up with them at Thermopylae, Leonidas commanded thousands of troops.

March 28, 2025 | 5:48 am