1 août 480 av. J.-C. - The Battle of Thermopylae

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Preceding the battle of Thermopylae, the Persian army had marched from it's homeland and was now on Greece's doorstep. The Greek resistance sent a force of 300 Spartans and approximately 6,700 helots to hold them at the so called hot gates under the command of Sparta's warrior king, Leonidas. The Greek forced succeeded in holding the Persian's for several days before a local Greek named Ephialtes betrayed the existence of a secret goat path to the Persians. This path allowed them to outflank the Greeks and collapse on them from behind. Although Greek scouts realised the betrayal, only 6,000 of the helots took the opportunity to flee, while 300 Spartans and the 700 remaining slaves stayed in a final stand which would still be talked of thousands of years later.
Although the Greeks were eventually routed, their perseverance at Thermopylae bought them valuable time and marked the beginning of a series of important Greek victories.

Source: Herodotus

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