The Battle of Thermopylae is one of the most famous battles of the ancient world. In the narrow isthmus, the militant Spartans fiercely resisted the Persians, although they knew that their fight was doomed to failure. They paid the highest price for it. Their bloody sacrifice is described in the novel "The Gates of Athens" by Conn Iggulden.
Leonidas screamed defiantly at the attackers. He could feel the blood running down his side; he no longer remembered how many blows had hit him. His arms were so heavy he struggled to lift them.
He exchanged people in the first line, sparing his guards and letting the perio take the brunt of the fight until they too weakened. Back then, he put out the rest of the soldiers, though unlike the Spartans, they didn't have many years of training that made muscles hard as bones and bones as strong as bronze.
Kill Immortals
He had lost count of the number of times he had summoned his men back so that the rest of them could rest in the rear. He demanded much more of them. The Persians gave them no respite. They sent Immortals in white cloaks into battle. Their ranks seemed to be endless.
The Spartans slaughtered them by the hundreds and thousands, and threw the corpses into the sea to keep the ground flat under their feet. Meanwhile, enemies looked for opportunities to break their spears or snatch them from their hands. Then they drew their swords and fought with new energy.
Periods came forward at Leonidas' command. They lived and trained in Sparta, but were never considered true Spartans. For the first time in his life, they were commanded by the Spartan king himself. When Leonidas praised them for their bravery, some had tears in their eyes.
The Battle of Thermopylae is one of the most famous battles of the ancient world.
By noon, his men had no more spears left. Their golden shields were punctured and cracked. Even the king's guards were panting heavily, many bleeding profusely from their open wounds. The immortals kept pressing, even though the ground was littered with their corpses and gold clasps and brooches lay like stones on it.
At any time during the interruption of the slaughter, Leonidas ordered the helots to clean up the corpses. He noticed that many took precious metal ornaments from the dead. He did not rebuke them for that, although none of the Spartans was keen on these treasures. There were no gold coins or silver in their land. They saw prosperity in completely different things. Leonidas never saw it more clearly than in this isthmus.
Last day
Twenty-eight of his guards, stabbed by people in white coats, have already died. Each of the killers soon lost their lives at the hands of the enraged Spartans, but Leonidas felt the loss strongly as a commander and king.
The prophecy he had heard in Delphi came back to him. He won't get out of here alive, it's impossible, or Sparta would suffer. His life will end between the sea and high cliffs. He also knew that he had given the army time to reach the plain behind him. He wanted to give the troops three quiet days, then the Apollo festival would end.
There was a clear symmetry, he thought, pushing the enemy's shield away and killing a screaming, half-year-old Pers; cut his throat as black as night under his chin. His own beard had long been streaked with gray. Time is aging both ordinary people and kings, he thought regretfully. It was a strange reflection on the last day of my life. But his shoulders seemed to lighten, he remembered his youth and began to move again as lively as when he was a youth.
The text is an excerpt from Conn Iggulden's novel "The Gate of Athens", the first volume of "The Athenian" - the new trilogy of the author of the best-selling novels about Julius Caesar in the series "Imperator" and "Spartan Falcon"!
No one could cope with him. Those touched by his anger fell dead, their blood flowing in winding streams towards the sea. He thought the end would be beautiful. He will die in full strength, he will spare himself the old man's weakness. It was a kind of blessing. Leonidas thanked Apollo for the honor of dying the way he lived:without compromise or the inevitable loss of vitality.
The old people grew weaker and weaker and lost their life energy over the years. He already knew that he would not change until his death, and he was grateful for that.
"We saved Thermopylae!"
As the sun began to lower and disappear over the ridges, the king raised his head and felt his chest tighten as he remembered the rocks from which he had jumped into the water as a boy. He remembered the feeling of open space and freedom in the flight towards the surface of the sea that made him feel something akin to nausea. High up on the cliffs, he saw men in white, in shining ornate armor, following like a host of wolves the figure who had led this march. They probably found some path known only to mountain goats, or a trail used by shepherds to get around the isthmus.
Suddenly he realized that this was the end for sure. As soon as enough Persians were behind the backs of the Spartans and their allies, they would clamp them down. He only regretted the Platoans, Corinthians, and Thespians, and even the Periods and Helots who had gone with him to carry out this last great mission. They all fought persistently and with great courage, none of them escaped or surrendered to the enemy. Leonidas lost both friends and strangers that day, but he was proud of everyone.
In the narrow isthmus, the militant Spartans fiercely resisted the Persians, although they knew that their fight was doomed to failure.
Perhaps because the Persians were circumventing the isthmus, there was a break in the battle. The attackers unexpectedly backed away, and Leonidas' men seemed to have gasped as they stood there, hands resting on their thighs, panting heavily, sweating despite the cool sea wind. The king called for water to be brought to him, but the water was gone.
He did not know when the next Persian force would attack. He thought quickly. - We saved Thermopylae! He called to his own. - We resisted the merciless attacks. You have all proven yourself to be men of honor. Thank you. Do you see the enemy on the paths above? It won't be long and we will be attacked from behind and there will be no escape route for us. Nevertheless, you did your job. I want you to know about it. We gave the troops of Sparta and Athens, as well as Megara, Sykion and others, time to prepare for battle. We got it for them .
He stared straight ahead and his heart leapt into his throat as he saw a new host of enemies preparing to attack. He looked left and right:his guards just nodded at him. They will not leave as long as their king remains on the battlefield. He knew it from the very beginning. - Run away quickly! He called to the others. - I will stay here so that you have time to run as far as possible. Go home and carry the message of what we have done here. Come on!
Death struggle
Some of the people in the rear ranks turned and walked into the thickening darkness. There were hundreds of them. Some cried, but whether they were relieved or moved after Leonidas had been sacrificed, they themselves did not know. - So what? The king asked those who stayed. The guards raised their swords and shields without saying a word. He knew they would not show their backs to anyone, not even Xerxes' army.
But there were also the Periods, about seven hundred. - You don't have to be here with me - He said. His voice was trembling and breaking, but he thought it was from exhaustion. The others greeted him with raised swords. The Persians, on the move again, exchanged concerned glances, having no idea what the gesture meant. - But we will stay One of the periods said.
One of the fallen was Leonidas. His guard tightly surrounded the body, intending to stay with it until the end
Leonidas saw that helots were also there. They were not allowed to leave unless he specifically allowed them to. - With the word of the King of Sparta I make free men of all helots who fought with me today. From now on, no one has the right to call you slaves. Now go away. - Since we are not slaves, you cannot order us to leave One of the helots replied. It was Dromeas, messenger and runner. The young man was holding a shield which he had taken from one of the killed periojs. Leonidas watched as the boy bends down and reaches for one of the fallen's sword, then the manuscript and slips it into his belt. The King smiled, but his heart nearly broke at the sight.
About half of the people he had brought here left after hearing his plea. Almost two thousand remained at his side. Even after dark, Xerxes did not allow them to rest. His warriors attacked under the torchlight. Leonidas' comrades fought a devastating battle and fell one by one, exhausted.
The liberated helots died because their movements were too slow as they faced the Persians just entering the fight. Periods fought relentlessly, slashed and stabbed, while shouting menacingly, and all their blows were accurate and wounded. And yet they too had to succumb.
"Passer-by, tell Sparta that we lie here to her laws"
At dawn, the Immortals attacked from the rear, tired after a night's march over the cliff, determined to end the battle as soon as possible to their disgrace . They felt a sense of shame that the great king had to wait, loudly mocked and mocked, humiliated by the Spartans in the red coats. Attacked from two sides, the Spartans formed a square and took refuge behind the shields, still blocking the passage. Xerxes himself strode far into the isthmus, wanting to observe their doom, accompanied by Mardonius, who stood at his right hand.
The Immortals fought like madmen under his watchful gaze, but though they were outnumbered, the Spartans still hadn't broken up. - Go back The Persian king finally ordered. He was terrified of the enormous number of corpses where the evaporated sea salt mixed with the mud. The air smelled of blood. - Kill them with spears. Let's not waste any more people .
Epitaph on the hill of Kolonos, commemorating three hundred Spartans
He realized that the Spartans had decimated the Immortals, the elite of his army. Less than half of his best fighters remained alive, and there was no substitute for them. The Persians began throwing spears from two sides. The exhausted Spartans lifted shields on their shoulders as heavy as lead, but some of them were lost.
One of the fallen was Leonidas. His guard tightly surrounded the body, intending to stay with it to the end. There were too few of them and they did not have the strength to launch a counterattack. They were killed by arrows and spears, one by one, until finally only two or three remained - the Persians smashed them with sticks . Spartan coats covered Leonidas' death with a bright red bedspread.
The Persians celebrated the victory with a scream that carried far away and seemed to go on forever. It was heard at sea and chilled the blood in the veins of the Greek sailors who stood on the decks of the ships and gazed out towards the land, wondering what the screams actually meant.
Source:
The text is an excerpt from Conn Iggulden's novel "The Gate of Athens", the first volume of "The Athenian" - the new trilogy of the author of the best-selling novels about Julius Caesar in the series "Imperator" and "Spartan Falcon"!