Free Republic

...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...

During their numerous conquests across much of the known world, Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalas led the elite Macedonian cavalry. According to one legend, they even discovered Himalayan salt, famous today for its pinkish tint and its essential trace elements required by the body. The horses had worked hard in battle and on the trail and during a moment of respite licked the salt-covered rocks in the hills overlooking the Hyaspes River. This alerted the soldiers to the salt deposits there. Whether the anecdote is true or not, it speaks to the bond between horse and rider and...