Battle of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae was a battle of the Persian Wars. It took place in the Thermopylae region of Greece in the summer of 480 BC. It was fought between the city-states of Ancient Greece and the Persian Empire. The Greeks were commanded by King Leonidas I while the Persians were commanded by King Xerxes I of Persia. The battle is often mythicized as "the 300 Spartans", where Leonidas led a battalion of 300 Spartans against an army of thousands of Persians in a valiant last stand.

The Battle of Thermopylae is so iconic in human history that the word "Thermopylae" is synonymous with "last stand", and other popular last stands are known as "Thermopylaes".