Quote:
Originally Posted by gunnut
Fact: all the Spartans died in this battle
Fact: the Spartans killed over 20,000 Persians
Fact: this single act was to plant the seed for eventual unification of Greece against the Persians, culminating in Alexander conquering the Persian Empire 150 years later
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I don't know why people really hype out this battle. It is really simple. A small highly motivated force, using the local terrain to their advantage caused a disproportionally high casualty rate to their enemies.
Hoplite warfare was suited to fighting on passes where the enemy can't outflank you. 100,000 unsupported hoplites fighting against 100,000 Persian's will lose badly in a wide open space. Its all about terrain.