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Battle of Thermopylae

Battle of Thermopylae was a battle fought in July 480 BC at Thermopylae, in what is now Greece. It was part of the Greco-Persian Wars, which ran from 499 BC to 449 BC. The recorded result: Persian victory. Recorded strength: 7,000 against 40,000–300,000.

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Battle of Thermopylae
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtJuly 480 BC
WhereThermopylae, Greece38.796N, 22.537E
OutcomePersian victory
BelligerentsAllied Greek city-states; Sparta; Thespiae; Thebes; OthersagainstAchaemenid Empire
Casualties and losses4,000 (Herodotus)andabout 20,000 (Herodotus)
Part ofGreco-Persian WarsSecond Persian invasion of Greece

Where it sits in the Greco-Persian Wars

Siege of Naxos, 499 BCSiege of Eretria, 490 BCSiege of Naxos, 490 BCSiege of Lindos, 490 BCBattle of Marathon, 490 BCBattle of Artemisium, 480 BCSiege of Olynthus, 480 BCSiege of Potidaea, 480 BCBattle of Thermopylae, 480 BCBattle of Salamis, 480 BCBattle of Mycale, 479 BCSiege of Sestos, 479 BCSiege of Potidaea, 479 BCBattle of Plataea, 479 BCSiege of Byzantium, 478 BC499 BC478 BCBattle of Thermopylae, 480 BC
16 placed engagements of the Greco-Persian Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateJuly 480 BC (month precision)
PlaceThermopylae, Greece
38.796N, 22.537E
KindBattle, ancient
Territorial changePersia gains control of Phocis, Boeotia, and Attica
Strength7,00040,000–300,000
Casualties and losses4,000 (Herodotus)about 20,000 (Herodotus)
Commanders
  • Leonidas I
  • Demophilus of Thespiae
  • Leontiades (Thermopylae)
  • Xerxes I
  • Mardonius (nephew of Darius I)
  • Hydarnes the Younger
  • Artapanus (general)
Battle of ThermopylaeBattle of ThermopylaeBattle of ThermopylaeBattle of ThermopylaeBattle of ScarpheiaBattle of Thermopylae (254)Battle of Thermopylae 279 BCEAthensPatraLarissaIoaninaAgrinioChalkidaPirgosVolos100 km38.796N, 22.537E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Thermopylae
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Thermopylae today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-22. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 26 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -1 to 1,332 m, 1,333 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 61% tree cover, 19% cropland, 15% grassland.

tree cover: 61%cropland: 19%grassland: 15%built-up: 2%tree cover 61%cropland 19%grassland 15%built-up 2%
west to east, 10.0 km18 to 240 mnorth to south, 10.0 km1 to 1,096 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 7 times between 480 BC and 1941.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 480 BC

Battle of Thermopylae is one of 102 engagements of the 5th century BC in the atlas and one of 529 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q131969, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Thermopylae, revision 1384973967, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.