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I always go with the figure of 200,000 army for the Persians. Another misconception is that, it was not 200,000 Persians rather it was 200,000 Persian army, which had troops from India, Libya, Egypt, Assyria, Media, Babylon, Saracens, Scythians and Lydia, to say the least. Xerxes's navy was mostly an Egyptien squadron. So there were no 200,000 Persians persay. Also, I would think that of the 200,000 if we reduce the naval forces, the royal guards, the Immortals, the emperor's court lackies, princes and dukes and their bodyguard, the effective army is down to 120,000 men. Even, at that effective stregnth, I could be wrong (sense I have not read anything on the subject for a longtime) but I would assume, Xerxes would have divided his force in respective of the priority of the tasks athand and, therefore a passage that was manned by 300 Spartans and some thousend Greek allies, would have probably had recieved equal priority inrespective to its military strength. Therefore, it would quite probable that the better armed Spartans and allies fought against peacemeal forces, till Xerxes decided that they have to wiped out.
I cannot believe that 300 better armed, better armoured and better discipline can defeat a force of 30,000. That a 100 man per each Spartan. Let alone, a force of 100,000 or a million.
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If we contrast the rapid progress of this mischievous discovery of gunpowder with the slow and laborious advances of reason, science, and the arts of peace, a philosopher, according to his temper, will laugh or weep at the folly of mankind. - Edward Gibbon
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