Most of what is known about the battle comes from the accounts of the Greek historian Herodotus, whose "Histories" are an attempt to untangle the Greco-Persian wars. For days, he wrote, the Spartans led the Greek forces in disciplined phalanxes, a wall of overlapping shields from which the highly trained Greeks could strike out with long, bronze-tipped spears. The terrain favored the Greek tactics, and the Persians were unable to break through the Greek lines. Even by conservative estimates of the Persian army – Herodotus claimed Xerxes' troops numbered in the millions – the Greek achievement was stunning: In three grueling days of battle, they killed at least 20 Persians for every man they lost.
Ultimately, they were betrayed -- a local shepherd showed the Persian king an alternate route, and Xerxes' army was able to outflank the Greeks. Surrounded, the Spartans volunteered to fight to the last man to give the rest of the outnumbered Greeks time to retreat inland and raise another defense.
Continuing reading about the Battle of Thermopylae with Thermopylae: The Ultimate Last Stand.
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