Isidore of Miletus & Anthemius of Tralles

Architects, Mathematicians, Scholars, Engineers, Physicist, Inventor (Isidore), Writer (Anthemius) (6^th century), (c447 – 558)

Isidore was born in Miletus sometime during the 6^th century. He was a scholar and architect and was the founder of an engineering school in the Byzantine Empire. He taught physics and stereometric geometry, first in Alexandria and then in Constantinople. He compiled works of Archimedes and Euclid, wrote important treatises of his own and was rector of the Academy of Athens. In addition, he is credited with inventing an instrument for the measurement of hyperbolae. Anthemius was another brilliant architect and writer who taught geometry in the University of Constantinople. His profound knowledge on the conic sections enabled him to construct complex architectural marvels. Like Isidore, he had special interest on physics as proven by his researches on mirrors. Anthemius was also an engineer who created anti flooding systems for the capital.

Both had been students of the famous mathematician Proclus, who burned down the Goth’s fleet in 514 in Constantinople using a system similar to that of Archimedes from antiquity. Both were undoubtedly genius mathematicians and possessed extraordinary engineering skills, for which they were tasked in 531 with the construction of Hagia Sophia in the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the holiest Greek orthodox church dedicated to God’s wisdom.

Even before undertaking this difficult task, Isidore and Anthemius were already renowned throughout the world for their work individually. According to Paulus Silentiarius, Isidore was “the wisest of them all” while Anthemius was said to have reached the top of mathematical science. Words of their accomplishments had spread to every country until they reached Emperor Justinian’s ears in 531. He entrusted them with the creation of the Hagia Sophia and appointed them in charge of one hundred architects, each of whom was assigned 100 workers divided into two teams, each consisting of 5000 workers. In just 5 years, 10 months and 4 days, the temple had been completed.

Isidore and Anthemius represented the Greek architectural science. The shape of Hagia Sophia comes directly from the ancient Greek Stoa Basileios or Royal Stoa, where the people used to have gatherings. The sculptures, the mosaics and the art all reflect the glorious past of the Greek spirit. The golden altar, as well as all the holy relics was made of gold while the dome with a diameter of 31 meters seems as if it is floating in mid-air. Niketas Akominatos called it “earthly sky”.

Hagia Sophia is not simply a Christian temple; it is one of the wonders of architecture. It is a monument of insuperable beauty which stands today with its indomitable magnificence as a feat of modern architecture.

Bibliography

1. Pleuris, Konstantinos. Hagia Sophia, Athens: Hilektron, 2012. Print.

Pericles

Statesman (c495 BC – 429 BC)

The greatest of the Ancient Greek statesmen, the “first citizen of Athens” according to Thucydides and one of the most acclaimed figures in world history, Pericles was born 5 years prior to the Battle of Marathon as a descendent of the royal family of the Alkmaeonides, the same bloodline as Cleisthenes, one of the founding fathers of democracy. For 30 years, under the leadership of Pericles, Athens lived a time of cultural development and insuperable glory making it the most powerful city-state in Greece at a time referred to as “The Golden Age”.

Pericles’ politics were characterized by interest and love for his people. He removed many obligations of the Areios Pagos, the Supreme Court and entrusted them to a court run by the people, implemented important measures for the welfare, sought to reduce poverty and passed a law by which poor people could receive money from the national fund so that they could watch theatre plays, because theatre plays in Ancient Greece had also therapeutic purposes on the viewers.

Under Pericles’ supervision, Athens became a Panhellenic cultural centre where philosophy, art and sciences flourished. In addition to being heavily fortified with walls, of which ruins exist to this day, Piraeus was transformed into one of the most powerful harbours and trade centres in all Europe. Numerous public works of indomitable beauty were constructed, most notably temples, theatres, royal tombs, the Propylaia, the Parthenon by Ictinus and Callicrates, the marbles of the Parthenon and the statue of Athena by Pheidias, the beautiful sculptures of Praxiteles and Polykleitos and the mesmerising art of Zeuxis and Apollodorus. The names of 3 playwrights would forever remain in history as the greatest tragedians in world history: Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Thucydides and Xenophon appeared for the first time in historiography while philosophy reached a level of considerable perfection with the teachings of Anaxagoras, who as Pericles’ tutor, Democritus and the immortal Socrates.

Moreover, Pericles’ plan was to unite all European and Asian Greek cities into a common union for the restoration of all temples destroyed by the Persians, to ensure freedom to all Greek city-states, to establish a safe zone in the Mediterranean for effective trade and to create an alliance for peace among all of Greece. His wise plan, however, was only partially implemented as it was thwarted by the Spartans, who envied the Athenians.

Coincidentally, the lexarithm of Pericles’ name is equal to that of the word “Η ΔΡΑΣΙΣ” (The Action) = 523. Similarly, Pericles (523) “plus God” (σὺν θεῶ) (1) is equal to the lexarithm of the words ΗΓΕΤΗΣ (Leader), ΘΕΣΜΟΣ (Institution), ΤΙΜΗ ΚΑΙ ΔΟΞΑ (Honour and Glory) = 524. Indeed, Pericles was an outstanding leader, his democracy was an institution as an example throughout the ages and he gained honour and glory in history for his achievements.

Bibliography

1. Manias, Theophanis. The Holy Geometry of the Greeks and the Mathematical Structure of the Greek Language. Athens: Pyrinos Kosmos, 2006. Print.
2. “Pericles”. Helios. Passas, I. Athens. 1946. Print.

Alexander Papagos

Field Marshal, Prime Minister of Greece (1883 – 1955)

Statesman and Field Marshal of modern Greece. He served as Commander-in-chief during the Greco-Italian war in 1940 and as Prime Minister of Greece during the final days of the civil war in 1952 until his death.

As cavalry captain he fought in the Balkan Wars during the years 1912 – 1913 and showed great courage and bravery for undertaking successfully difficult and dangerous missions, most notably in the Battle of Bizani when the Greek forces liberated the lands of Epirus. After the Balkan wars, Papagos was found in the midst of the National Schism. He was arrested and exiled for belonging to the side of the King but was eventually called up to serve as chief of staff in the Greco-Turkish war in Asia Minor in 1920 – 1922.

During the following years of political turmoil in Greece, Papagos became Minister of Defense and commanded important units of the Greek army. In 1936, Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas took over and appointed Alexander Papagos as field marshal of the Greek army. As the most willing and capable man to lead the Greek army against the Italians in Second World War in 1940, Metaxas entrusted him with the country’s defense against the invading forces. Metaxas’ rightful decision did not prove him wrong. Papagos worked day and night to prepare the Greek army for war. He managed to do so excellently in spite of the time constraints and the country’s poor economic state.

On October 28^th, 1940 the Italians declared war against Greece. It was Alexander Papagos who led the Greek army in the epic battle against the Italians in the Albanian front during the Second World War. His work on the preparations of Greece for the war was evident from the way the Greek resistance fought, which had earned the admirations of all Europe. This was later confirmed by Winston Churchill, who quoted “Greeks don’t fight like heroes, heroes fight like Greeks”.

When the front broke, Papagos rejected the king’s offer to escape with him to Cairo and remained in Greece where he formed a patriotic organization for the resistance against the German Axis Occupation. He was arrested by the Germans and sent to the concentration camps in Dachau where he remained imprisoned until the war was over. With his return to Greece, Papagos was tasked with combating the communist forces during the civil war.

Even after the civil was had ended, Papagos remained an active patriot both in the military and in politics, eventually becoming Prime Minister of Greece until his sudden death in 1955. During that time he reorganized and rectified the nation following the devastating consequences of the civil war and struggled for the unification of Cyprus with Greece. Today, Alexander Papagos is remembered for his decisive role during the most difficult years of modern Greek history as well as for his determination and struggle to keep Greece a free nation. His work was recognized by nearly all European nations, who awarded him with the highest honours.

Bibliography

1. “Papagos, Alexander”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print.
2. Skefromaste Hellenica.”Alexandros Papagos (1883 – 1995)”.  October 4, 2013. Web. 20 June, 2016.

Posidonius

Philosopher, Mathematician, Physicist, Astronomer, Meteorologist, Statesman, Historian, Geographer (c135 BC – c51 BC)

Posidonius was born in Syria and flourished in Rhodes. He was an exceptional scientist whose work spanned numerous different fields. Poseidonius is widely considered by modern scholars to be equal to Aristotle in terms of knowledge and wisdom. He holds the title of possible inventor of the Antikythera Mechanism together with Hipparchus and Archimedes. He had profound influence on the Romans thanks to his spiritual glory.

As a philosopher, Posidonius reintroduced the religious element in Stoic philosophy. According to him, man’s soul derives from God; it is therefore immortal and has a divine essence to it. The soul descended to Earth from the sky as a result of sin and became entrapped inside a prison: the mortal human body. During life, the soul continuously tries to ascend back to the sky and reach God whilst overcoming earthly temptations. To achieve this, man must live a life of virtues; it is only by means of virtue that the soul can come closer to its creator. Not all souls, however, are capable of this ascension. This task can only be undertaken by those willing to live a life free of bodily desires and materialistic desires. For it is only those who strive to preserve the divine part of their nature by keeping it uncontaminated who will earn a rightful place in the heavens. The reunion of man’s soul with God will be achieved only by those who accomplish this feat.

God does not have a form; instead, he takes the form of all. All life and all souls derive from God. Everything that comprises the three hierarchies: plants, animals and humans, including their interrelationships are characterized by order set by God’s wisdom. Posidonius also spoke about two worlds co-existing: the earthly world, which is mortal and the heavenly world, which is immortal. The link between the two worlds is man, who participates in both the earthly and the heavenly world by his body and soul respectively. In his book On Heroes and Daemons Posidonius writes that except man, there are other beings that inhabit these worlds and possess nous (intellect). These beings are found everywhere and possess different abilities. He described these aerial beings as Daemons and Heroes. Posidonius communicated with these beings.

Posidonius was not only a philosopher. He was a gifted polymath. As a scientist he was the first to describe the tidal phenomena caused by the moon’s influence on the sea. During the Renaissance Paolo Toscanelli studied Poseidonius’ writings according to which one could travel to the Indies if one set sail from the west and having constantly an east wind. Toscanelli compiled maps according to this, which Cristopher Colombus would later use to reach America.

Posidonius’ works in meteorology contain several interesting studies such as the effects on climate on the proprioception of humans, explanations involving the clouds, winds, rain, frost, lightning etc. He wrote hundreds of books; just his historical and geographical work altogether comprises of 52 books. In astronomy Poseidonius successfully calculated the Earth’s circumference using the star of Canopus as reference point while in mathematics he advanced the Euclidean geometry and proposed several terms and definitions.

The philosophy of Posidonius was one of the last contributions of Ancient Greece to philosophy. According to N.I. Luvaris: ”He was a sage, a thinker, a researcher… He was something more than a scientist. He was a prophet, who showed man’s place in this world and defined his true destination…”. His philosophy had an immense influence on the Roman civilization as numerous Roman nobles became his students, most notably Cicero.

Bibliography

1. Koutoulas, Diamantis. The Ancient Greek Religion and the Mathematics. Thessaloniki: Psaras, 2001. Print.
2. Pleuris, Konstantinos. Greek Philosophers. Athens: Hilektron, 2013. Print
3. Pleuris Konstantinos. Diogmos ton Ariston. Athens: Hilektron, 2013. Print
4. “Poseidonius”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print

Aesop

Story teller (c620 BC – 564 BC)

A legendary story teller, whose actual existence was disputed even in the Classical times. He is regarded as the most famous story teller of antiquity. His stories were systematically compiled and published in the 14^th century by Maximus Planoudis, a monk who gave the form of “Aesop’s Fables” as they are today.

His name is first recited by Herodotus nearly after 100 years after Aesop’s death. According to him, Aesop was a crippled, stutter hunchback. He was primarily laughed at not for his voice but for his ugliness. He came to Greece as a slave but eventually gained his freedom and started travelling around the world. He visited Egypt, Asia Minor and Babylon until settling in King Kroisos’ courtyard, who admired him for his wisdom.

Aesop’s fables are short narratives with allegorical and ethical characteristics. Most of them feature anthropomorphic animals as the protagonists, who engage in a discussion with didactic background. Another common aspect in Aesop’s Fables is that it pits the rich and powerful against the poor and week, with often the latter winning, possibly reflecting Aesop’s own image. Perhaps the most famous one is “The Tortoise and the Hare”, in which a tortoise and a rabbit hold an unequal race which results in the tortoise’s victory because of the rabbit’s overconfidence. Other well-known fables include “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs”, “The Fox and the Grapes”, “The Lion and the Fox”, “The Lion and the Mosquito”, “The Eagle and the Beetle” etc. More than 300 such fables exist, each one with its own moral.

The origin of Aesop’s fables is obscure. Ancient Greek writers suggest that some of them were as old as the Greek race itself, some even older. Some of them had originated in Egypt or Asia but regardless of their origin, they were always attributed to the mythical person under the name of Aesop, even when some of the fables were made after Aesop’s death.

Bibliography

1. “Aesop”. Helios. Passas, I. Athens. 1946. Print.

 

Philip II

King of Macedon (386 BC – 336 BC)

King of Macedon from 359 BC till his assassination in 336 BC, one of the most powerful political figures of antiquity and father of Alexander the Great, by whom he is frequently overshadowed in history. Nevertheless, both father and son were capable strategists who established their own empires.

When he was a child, Philip studied the art of war next to Epaminondas and Pelopidas, two strategists renowned for their battles as well as the works of Isocrates, Plato and Aristotle. It was then that he was imbued with the idea of the unification of all Greece and the conquering of the Persians. Once he rose to the throne, he made this the goal of his life.

The first thing Philip did during his reign was to secure his position as king by exterminating all his usurpers. Afterwards, he began implementing his dream of Panhellenic Unification. In the beginning, Philip was faced with rejection as numerous city-states refused to recognize him as King of Greece and waged war against him. As a result, he descended Greece and turned against all major city-states in order to impose himself by means of war. He managed to take control of numerous goldmines which he harvested so that he could build a massive fleet. Philip successfully fended off all neighbouring enemies of the Macedonian Empire, improved the empire’s economy and succeeded in expanding his empire’s borders. Furthermore, he put an end to the Greeks who sought money from the Persians in order to battle against each other in civil wars.

It is worth mentioning that when Philip rose to power at the age of 23, his kingdom was nothing more but a poor country with peasants, surrounded by neighbouring enemies and suffering from internal conflicts. Philip took this country and transformed it into a mighty empire that stretched from the river Danube down to Peloponnesus, with an indestructible army of excellently trained soldiers that learned to love each other and fight coherently. Unfortunately, just when the treaty for Panhellenic Unification had been signed by all city-states, Philip was assassinated, leaving the undertaking in his son’s hands. Alexander was to carry out his father’s vision.

Philip was a cunning man. Even though he was admired by everyone for his bravery and intuition, he would rely on hypocrisy to carry out his plans and avoid bloodshed whenever possible. Sometimes he would pretend, other times he would betray his promise in order to reach his goals. Moreover, he used his vast amount of money to buy off and to corrupt people among his enemies. Nonetheless, Philip was very fond of philosophy and arts and for this reason he had invited Aristotle and many other philosophers to teach his son.

Philip and Alexander shared many traits in common. Both were charismatic leaders and would always fight alongside their fellow men in the first line of battle. Both were tough against their enemies. Their rule was to reward their friends and allies and punish anyone who became an obstacle. Both were idealists; one envisioned a world state where Greeks as a united force dominated the entire known world while the other accomplished it.

Bibliography

1. “Philip II”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print
2. Pleuris, Konstantinos. The King Alexander. Athens. Hilektron. 2015. Print

Michael Psellos

Philosopher, Writer, Scholar, Historian, Theologist, Statesman (1018 – 1096?)

Michael Psellos was a Platonic philosopher, regarded as one of the wisest men of the Byzantine era who served as the Byzantine State Secretariat under the rule of Emperor Michael V and Constantine IX. He studied law and philosophy in Athens and was a student of John Xiphlinus. Michael Psellos was a polymath; his work spanned the field of numerous sciences: philosophy, mathematics, rhetoric, astronomy, physics, alchemy, law, medicine, poetry and history.

Psellos was a distinguished lawyer and judge of Philadelphia. During Emperor Constantine’s reign he was appointed professor of philosophy and Rector of the University of Constantinople. During his career, Psellos held several important positions in the administration of the empire such as Prime Minister, Chief Representative of the Komnenos dynasty and Supreme Philosopher of the Byzantine Empire.

He developed the Platonic studies, wrote books on philosophy, mathematics, theology, medicine and astronomy and was primarily interested in alchemy and mysticism. His studies on Theurgy and Hermetism as well as his attempts to revive the Ancient Greek mystery schools led him to conflicts with the Church. Nevertheless, his contributions were an important step towards the Renaissance because he revived the lost works of the Ancient Greek writers so that years later Georgius Gemistus Pletho could begin the Renaissance.

As Rector of the University of Constantinople, Psellos revised the curriculum and placed the classical studies, primarily Homer, Plato and Aristotle in the first line of education so that future generations were imbued with the Ancient Greek spirit initiating the downfall of the religious establishment.

Bibliography

1. “Psellos, Michael”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print

Theodoros Kolokotronis

General, Prime Minister of Greece, Leader of the Greek War of Independence (1770 – 1843)

The polemic ethnarch of Greece, captain of the klepths and one of the purest figures of the Greek War of Independence. Theodoros Kolokotronis descended from the Kolokotronis family, 11 generations of which had fought against the Turkish yoke and more than 80 members of it had been killed by the Turks.

When he becomes 15 years old, Kolokotronis joins the Armatoles, a militia employed by the Turks to battle against the klephts, groups of Greek mercenaries that lived in the mountains. At the age of 16, Kolokotronis had already earned the title of Captain of the klephts as well as the nickname “Old Man of Moria”. In 1806 he moves to Zakynthos. His time there was to be an important part of his life; he becomes acquainted with the ideas of ancient Greek philosophers and writers by listening to them from important scholars since he himself was illiterate. In addition, he takes lessons on war and strategy by Richard Church which proved to be crucial in his career later on.

In 1818 he is initiated in the Society of Friends (Philiki Hetaireia) and in 1821, under the order of Alexander Hypsilantis he travels to Moria where he achieves two goals: First to reconcile the Maniates and second to light the fire of the revolution in all of the eparchies. In the beginning, Kolokotronis is alone, completely abandoned by his fellow men. He eventually gathers a significant number of warriors and leads them against the Turkish forces in the victorious battles of Valtetsi (April 1821) and the Battle of the Trenches (August 1821). Kolokotronis’ plan is to rid Peloponnesus of the Turkish forces, reclaim their castles and establish a free zone. He sees ahead, he sees wisely. With his hand he points directly to the enemy; he is not afraid of them. He takes over Tripolitsa, the main fortress of the Turks in Peloponnesus with an army of 10.000 men, having suffered only 100 casualties against an army of 10.000 Turks and proceeds in a massacre where all of the Turkish and Jewish population is decimated.

Kolokotronis’ next move is to stop Dramali Pasha’s procession to Peloponnesus. He holds his position in the castle of Argos and occupies all of the water supplies in the area. This strategy combined with the severe drought during that time of the year proved to be detrimental for Dramalis’ army. Nevertheless, with an army of 36.000 warriors Dramalis had taken his victory for granted and had notified the High Porte that he had defeated the Greeks in Dervenakia some days earlier. Kolokotronis gathers an army of 8000 men together with Demetrios Hypsilantis, Papaflessas, Plaputas and Nikitaras Stamatelopoulos and in July 1822 he exterminates Dramalis’ forces in the battle of Dervenakia. It was one of the most glorious battles in the chronicles of the Greek War of Independence and it was attributed to Kolokotronis’ military genius.

Following his protagonistic role in numerous victorious battles, Kolokotronis finds himself in the midst of a civil war incited by the British forces. He is imprisoned in Hydra until in 1825 when he is called to confront Ibrahim’s forces who roam the lands of Peloponnesus. Kolokotronis returns with a small number of klephts but this time he is unable to successfully fend off the Egyptian forces from the lands of Moria. For the first time, he is forced to betray his principles and sign a treaty by which the British forces would assist Greece in the war.

With the assassination of Kapodistrias and the coming of Otto as King of Greece, Kolokotronis is accused for treason and imprisoned for the second time until Otto reaches adulthood and takes control of the administration of Greece. From the first day of his adulthood, Otto frees Kolokotronis and appoints him as member of the Council of State.

Theodoros Kolokotronis was the brain of the war of Independence, the animating spirit of the Greek nation. Ioannis Kapodistrias had characterized him as “Odysseus of the race”. He was a deeply religious man, a virtuous leader who believed ardently in the freedom of the Greek nation, placing his ideas and principles above all. He taught the Greeks to love each other and to fight against the common enemy. He forgave all of his enemies who had done harm to him or his family because he wanted the Greeks to be united. He was illiterate for most of his life but he was a gifted strategist and an autodidact. Three words could characterize his spirit: prudence, providence and wisdom. His immense bravery and admirable dedication to the war of Independence has made his name a synonym to the heroic and virtuous leader in the Greek language. On October 8^th 1838 Kolokotronis leaves his last spiritual consignment to the new generation. He delivers a powerful speech in Pnyka addressing the youths of the Gymnasium of Athens commemorating their forefathers and prompting the children to rebuild the world that they liberated with religion, solidarity and freedom. He begins his speech as: “My children…”

Bibliography

1. Diogeneios Leschi. Διογένειος Λέσχη 17-4-2015 Κώστας Μπαρμπής. Youtube. 19 Apr. 2015. 28 Apr. 2015.
2. “Kolokotronis, Theodoros”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens. 1946. Print.

3. Η αριστοτεχνική παγίδα του Θεόδωρου Κολοκοτρώνη στα Δερβενάκια και η τρομερή καταστροφή του Δράμαλη. H σημασία της μεγαλύτερης νίκης των επαναστατημένων Ελλήνων το 1821. Το νέο βιβλίο του ιστορικού Ν.Γιαννόπουλου. mixanitouxronou.gr. Web. Retreived on April 30, 2016.

Eurytus

Warrior (? BC – 480 BC)

Eurytus was one of the 300 Spartans led by king Leonidas in the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. Like most Spartans, he was primarily chosen because he had an heir, a son. Eurytus was not unlike any other Spartan of his time; he was brought up according to the Spartan tradition and was fiercely trained to fight. He had not seen any major battles against barbarians but was awaiting to fight for glory.

In 480 BC, Leonidas and his 300 Spartans joined no more than 7000 allies to block Xerxes’ immense army from passing through Thermopylae. As the battle came close to a beginning, Eurytus suffered an eye infection and was deemed incapable of fighting. Leonidas gave him two options: either return to Sparta or retreat to a nearby battlefield to recover. He opted for the second.

Drawing up significant losses and with Ephialtes’ betrayal, Leonidas saw a certain defeat. During the final day of battle, he dismissed as many allies as possible so that they could build a second wall of defence in the south. Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, along with a few remaining allies, would sacrifice themselves to fend off the rest of the Persian army in a historic last stand. News of this reached Eurytus who was still recovering in the nearby military camp. Still blind and unable to fight, he ordered his heilot to bring him his armour and guide him to battle on the side of his fellow Spartans. Despite having lost his sight, Eurytus fought along with Leonidas and the Spartans in a glorious final assault against Xerxes’ army.

In 480 BC Eurytus died on the battlefield along with his king, having defied his disability for the sake of his country and its people. He had never seen any major battles against barbarians and he never would, but his courage and philopatry that characterize this act of sacrifice mark him a timeless hero and figure of patriotism.

Bibliography

1. “Eurytus”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print.
2. Lagoudakis, Stavros. “The Known Unknown Eurytus”. Helleniki Agogi. 21. 74 (2003):37-45. Print.

Leonidas

King of Sparta, Warrior (c540 BC – 480 BC)

No one in world history provided such act of courage, love of honor, and philopatry than that of king Leonidas and his 300 Spartans in the legendary Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.

Born around 540 BC, Leonidas I became warrior-king of city-state Sparta. In 480 BC, during the second Persian invasion, he led against all odds 300 Spartans and no more than 7000 allies against Xerxes’ army of 2.5 million in Thermopylae, according to Herodotus. For seven days, the army fought against a massive Persian army, and for two full days, fended them off, blocking them from advancing to the south.

During the last day, the Greek army found itself betrayed by Ephialtes, leading a number of allies to flee from certain death by the outnumbered Persian army who had them surrounded. In an ultimate act of patriotism, Leonidas and his remaining 300 Spartans together with 700 Thespians led by Demophilus remained in the battlefield to slaughter as many Persians as possible and defend their homeland. Knowing that his sacrifice would ensure the final Greek victory, he led his army to a final blow against the Persian army, leading to massive enemy casualties and coming as close as to kill Xerxes himself. In one of history’s most celebrated last stands, the terrified Persian army sought to finish the battle with a rain of arrows while the last remaining Spartans protected their king’s body from further harm.

The result of the Battle of Thermopylae shook the Persian Empire to its core. It is estimated that had the Greeks not been betrayed, the Persian army would have retreated due to lack of food and water. Leonidas’ epic stance against the enemy not only provided an immense moral boost to all Greeks, who united against a common enemy, but also proved crucial in the outcome of the subsequent battles, as it gave the Greeks time to set their defenses on the Isthmus of Corinth and prepare for the Battle of Salamis.

Leonidas’ words to Xerxes ”ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ” echo through time and history, sealing the ideals of an entire nation; freedom, country, glory. Today, the Battle of Thermopylae stands as the definitive example of heroic apotheosis and dedication to one’s nation, with Leonidas himself being a model for courage, bravery and ideals. On the epitaph of the cenotaph of Leonidas and his 300 Spartan men the following phrase was written: “Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by. That here, obedient to their laws, we lie“.

Bibliography

1. “Leonidas”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens. 1946. Print.
2. Volonakis, Ioannis. Ancient Greece’s Great Leaders. Athens: Georgiades, 1997. Print.