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The Persians didn't like the Greeks. At first, it wasn't personal. As you can see from the map below, the Persians controlled a large portion of the east. They wanted to expand west and the Greeks were inconveniently in the way. You know what say: conquerors gotta conquer.
The Persians were fierce warriors, but they believed the Greeks were soft. There was some evidence for this. While the Persians were busy crushing skulls, the Greeks were giving flowery speeches about democracy and freedom. It was in that tone that King Darius I invaded the mainland with an advance army. Surely, he thought, how tough could these philosophers be?
He received a jarring surprise at the Battle of Marathon. Persian ships landed at the beach to find a smaller Athenian army waiting to meet them. After several days of stalemate, the Greeks extended their line then charged at full speed across the wide plain to reduce the effectiveness of incoming arrows. The fighting concentrated in the center, then the Greeks surrounded Persians. They panicked, boarded their ships, and retreated to Persia.
Today, there are still two mounds on the site. They were partially excavated in the late 1800s (before we knew we shouldn't do things like that). Inside, they found a layer of ash, cremated remains, and inhumed bodies. It's incredible when ancient historians tell a story, then modern archaeologists confirm it. Today, it is a protected memorial. The soldiers will continue to lie there, heroes of Greece for over 2500 years.
If you're seeking more material remains, you'll find them several hundred miles the west. Remember, Olympia? It contained one of the most important temples in all of Greece. The Athenian commander visited and offered two helmets from the battle. He inscribed his name and a dedication to the almighty Zeus. 2000 years later, they were unearthed by archaeologists; an personal delivery from the past to the present.
Finally, yes. This origin of the modern race. A messenger ran from Marathon to Athens exclaiming "Nike!" (victory). Can you guess the distance? Yep, about 26 miles. What they don't tell you is that the messenger immediately died from exhaustion (just like I feel when going up two flights of stairs). Also, he was the first person in history to pretentiously put a "26.2" bumper sticker on his chariot making everyone behind him in traffic feel like a lazy slob.
I had to tell you that story to tell you this one. Today, I visited the site of the Battle of Thermopylae. The best way to think about it is as "Marathon 2.0." Obviously, the Persians were angry about their defeat at Marathon, and they now took it personally. About ten years later, Xerxes I returned with a much, much bigger force of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. There was no way to hide an army that large, so everyone knew they were coming. The plan was to send a small force to delay them. This would provide a distraction and more time to enhance the navy to defend Athens. Clearly, it was a suicide mission. Who was brave (crazy?) enough to volunteer?
We haven't discussed the Spartans yet. Soon, you'll learn a lot about them because that's where I'll be excavating. For now, it's enough to say that the Spartans were like having a Navy SEAL as your cousin. Sure, talk of fragmentation grenades make Thanksgiving dinner a bit uncomfortable, but he's awesome to have next to you in a fight. Spartan soldiers lived by only two options: victory or death. "So yeah," everyone decided, "let's send those guys."
You should be picturing an army of ancient Navy SEALs. Good. Now, I want you to step that up about 1000%. The Spartan army had an even more elite force within it. These 300 soldiers did everything together: lived, ate, slept, and trained 365 days a year. This wasn't "hey, let's go for a refreshing jog" kind of training. It was: "let's starve ourselves in freezing temperatures, while we work together to wipe out everything in our path." ...just like the most extreme version of pilates.
You may be doing the math: 300 Spartans (and 700 Thespians) against hundreds of thousands of Persians? Doesn't seem fair. The Spartans knew this, so they placed themselves within a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae. This ensured that the Persian army could only send a few soldiers at a time -- a great equalizer.
The Persian king didn't know the capabilities of Spartans. No matter how good they may be, he figured, surely they could see the overwhelming force against them. He decided to offer a chance to surrender. "Hey guys, be reasonable. I'm about to open the biggest can of whoop-ass the world has ever seen. Do the smart thing and lay down your weapons." Spartans were not known for their verbose discourse. The commander simply responded: "Come get them."
With a reluctant sigh equal to Pontius Pilate's years later, he shrugged his shoulders then casually ordered a contingent of his soldiers to attack. It was a bloodbath that went on for several days with row upon row of Persians being slaughtered. At one point, there were so many enemy arrows flying overhead, a soldier remarked that they blocked out the sun. The Spartan commander retorted: "Excellent! Now, we get to fight in the shade!" Eventually, the Spartans were betrayed by a local looking for quick cash. He showed the Persians a hidden path so they could attack from multiple directions. The Spartan king realized their line would be broken. He steadfastly remained and told his 300 "Eat well, for tonight we dine in Hades!" Each one was killed after taking thousands of Persians with them.
While Thermopylae was a tactical defeat, it was a strategic victory. The story of the last stand spread throughout Greece and rallied more to fight, like the United States after Pearl Harbor. The Persians arrived in Athens and sacked the city, but then were later defeated by Greek naval forces.
There is an epigraph near the site commemorating their dedication to duty: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie."
If you're wondering if anything was found there, archaeologists uncovered hundreds of spear points and arrowheads littered across the site, mostly of Persian origin.
Tomorrow, I take to the sea!
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