Michael

 __**The Battle Of Thermopylae**__ ** The essay you are about to read is on the ancient battle of Thermopylae,which is about 2300 Greeks vs. about two million Persians. This is what the essay is made up of. How the battle and war started, what happens before the battle, what was the Greek war naval strategy while the battle raged on, the betrayal by a Greek sending all of the other Greek soldiers and their king to death, and more. So, if you want to read the details on the battle of Thermopylae and their military tactics, read the rest of this essay.  This paragraph will fill in the details of the battle. The battle of Thermopylae started in 480 B.C. King Xerxes I sent messages all over Greece to ask for surrender. They did this by asking for earth and water. They obviously refused and replied by throwing them into a well with a suggestion to “dig it out for themselves”. An alliance of Greek-city states fought the invading Persian Empire in a battle called “The Battle of Thermopylae”. This took place in Central Greece at the pass of Thermopylae. Greek-city states were not unified then, but they set aside their differences for this major battle. A small force led by King Leonidas I blocked the only road that King Xerxes' army could pass. King Leonidas' small force were made up of 300 Spartan warriors, 700 Thespian volunteers, 400 Thebans, and 900 Helots, with a total of 2300 to 3300 Greeks. While King Xerxes' army, consisted of about 2 million Persians. King Leonidas was commander of the Greek force while King Xerxes was commander of the Persian force for a limited time. In the first battle, Xerxes sent 20,000 Persian men to fight the Greeks and they all died. After such losses King Xerxes retreated to Asia. Xerxes left a force in Greece under a commander named Mardonius to meet for the last time. After 3 days of battle, Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks by revealing a secret mountain pass that led behind Greek lines. The Persians succeeded in taking the pass but sustained losses proportionate to those of the Greeks. This gave Athens valuable time to prepare a decisive naval battle that would determine the outcome of the war. The Persian Empire contained more than 500,000 ships. The final battle the Persians put archers all along the mountain side pointed at the Greeks and shot them all to death. Meanwhile, the Greek navy victory left most of King Xerxes navy destroyed. After King Leonidas's body was recovered, King Xerxes ordered the head to be cut off and the body to be crucified.**  **That was the story of how the Battle of Thermopylae started and ended.**

 __**Spartan Military Tactics**__  **This paragraph will give you some idea on what their military was like and the tactics they used.**   **The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually made up of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes or similar weapons. The Spartans themselves did not bring on any big changes or new tactics in hoplite (armoured) warfare, but their drills and discipline made their phalanx much more effective. The Spartans used the phalanx in the regular style in a single line, of 8 to 12 men long. When fighting alongside their allies, the Spartans would normally be on the honourary right side. If, as usually happened, the Spartans won on their side, they would then wheel left and roll up the enemy formation. During the Peloponnesian War, their fighting became more efficient and smaller troops were used more often. Their tactics became more effective during the initial meeting of the enemy, but in direct confrontations between two opposing phalanxes, stamina and “pushing ability” were what counted. It was only when the Thebans, under Epaminodas increased the depth of a part of their formation at the Battle of Leuctra that the Spartan phalanx broke.**  **Their army grew stronger and more effective as time went on. This gives you an idea of how well they worked together as a team and became virtually unstoppable.**        ** In conclusion, the Battle of Thermopylae reflects an excellent example of the good use of teamwork. A knowledge of terrain, good training, and excellent skill tactics is important to win any battle. Also, with organization, hard work and unity you can overcome anything. **                  