700 Thespians fought and died at Thermopylae but they are often overshadowed by the Spartans and forgotten.Credit: Jona Lendering / Wikimedia Commons CC0
Posted on 02/05/2025 10:47:16 AM PST by SunkenCiv
...Led by Demophilus of Thespiae, 700 Thespians reached Thermopylae, where there is now a monument in their memory next to a statue dedicated to the Spartans. For the Thespians, the price of their defiance at Hot Gates would be a severe one – the destruction of their city no less – but they fought again at Platea...
Politically, Thespiae was aligned with the Boeotian League, an alliance of Boeotian city states led by Thebes, which acted as the league's permanent president. The Boeotians used the same coins and measures to facilitate easier trade and were obliged to aid each other in war, but the league was not an entirely centralized political body, and the individual city states mostly maintained their sovereignty...
According to sources like Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, the Greek force numbered anywhere between about 5,200 and 7,700 men, to which the Thespians under the command of Demophilus contributed 700 hoplites...
On the third day of the battle, the Persians discovered a mountain pass that enabled them to circumvent the narrow road and attack the Greeks from behind. When the Greek force learned of this, the majority of them withdrew to fight another day.
However, the 300 Spartans led by Leonidas, the 700 Thespians commanded by Demophilus, and a force of 400 Thebans remained at Thermopylae where they made a final stand...
In 1997, the Greek government unveiled a monument to the oft-forgotten Thespians at Thermopylae, next to a monument commemorating the Spartan sacrifice there.
(Excerpt) Read more at greekreporter.com ...
700 Thespians fought and died at Thermopylae but they are often overshadowed by the Spartans and forgotten.Credit: Jona Lendering / Wikimedia Commons CC0
The Battle of Thermopylae was fought in 480 BC between the Persian Empire and a Greek alliance led by Sparta. With continual fighting for three days, it was one of the most prominent battles of the Greco-Persian Wars; it has gone down as one of history's most famous last stands. This legendary defence solidified the Spartans' fearsome reputation, a legacy that has endured through the ages and remains iconic to this day. This clip is from Ancient Powers.The Truth Behind Spartan 'Suicide Mission' | 3:05
BBC Timestamp | 799K subscribers | 4,242 views | January 12, 2025
“Then we shall fight in the shade!”
How do we get all those famous actors to become tough warriors like the real Thespians? (It’s just a joke!)
Contrary to a somewhat antiquated presumption;
being a thespian has nothing to do with being a lesbian!
Thanks for reminding that the T in LGBTQ ain't Thespians. LOL
It has been rumored that the Thespians temporarily halted the Persian advance with dramatic readings from the works of Socrates.
"Acting!"
In Greece last1fall of 2023, traveling around stopped at the battle site. Worthy stop and I was stunned ow far the water/shoreline had moved out.
The hot springs there also excellent!
But being an ancient Spartan warrior is synonymous with, uh, nope, not gonna open that can of worms, again. :^)
If the Greeks had put a bunch of armored angry lesbians, whose time of the month had sync’d up, to face the Persian invasion, it probably would have ended the whole freakin’ Persian Empire then and there. ;^) :^D
:^)
Zena nods in agreement.
heh... if they were able to do that, they wouldn’t have to hire private firefighters and professional security staff.
According to this, shouldn't the Greeks be considered the bad guys, and far from heroes? Where's the consistency?
Sounds great! Sometimes I think I’d like to visit Pamukkale’s epson salt springs, they’ve been a spa since ancient times (and long before Turkish rule), but they look like they may be tricky to crawl in and out of.
Not look what you’ve done. :^)
“To be or not to be... hmm... not to be...”
“It has been rumored that the Thespians temporarily halted the Persian advance with dramatic readings from the works of Socrates.”
Which is even more remarkable since Socrates wasn’t even born yet.
How about a phalanx of drugged-up hormone-pumped trannies?
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