The Battle of Thermopylae

Most significant battle in history?

Exactly as Lannes mentions. The most significant was the sea-battle of Salamis. If you like, even Marathon was more important, because it was the first serious encounter of Greeks and Persians and has shown what well-trained heavy infantry can do to masses of light infantry and archers.

But Thermopylae was immortalized in history because of the self-sacrifice of the Spartans & Thespians. Americans usually compare it with Alamo

 

You're right about people forgetting Platea. I mean it was the biggest (in numbers) battle. The Greeks were never before (or after) able to present on the battleground an 100,000 strong army from all over Greece. Mardonious 250,000 strong army was anihilated and very few managed to return to Asia.

People tend to believe that the outcome of the battle was pre-determined, but anyone who knows a little history will see that there was a fine line between defeat & victory for the two sides. Politics would also play a significant part.

Another battle that is even more forgotten is the battle of Mycale (same date as Platea) where the Greek fleet destroyed the Persian one thus ending Persian threat to Greek islands. Anyone care to talk about it?

I wouldn't compare the two battles. The light cavalry at Balaclava didn't know that it was going to its death. Leonidas and his men knew the outcome, yet they chose to fight never the less. It's all about the power of choice amongst free people.

It was 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians those who chose to stay when the rest of the army retreated to avoid encirclement. Everyone forgets the Thespians and that really annoys me! The Spartans were professional soldiers brought up since they were kids to be soldiers and to die for their country. There was no greater honor for them. The Thespians were farmers, merchants, teachers, craftsmen, people like you and me. Their city was a small one (almost a village) near Thermopylae and these 700 men were almost their whole fighting force-all men that could bear arms. They had the opportunity to leave with the rest of the army yet they demanded to stay with the Spartans, so they stayed and also died to the last man. Their death must have devastated their small city, since it would have seriously affected everyThespian family.

In my mind, if the Spartans did a heroic deed, then the Thespians did the unthinkable!

Here's Thespies today:

http://www.gtp.gr/LocPage.asp?id=61603

http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21109a/e211ia11.html

 

I agree also. Tespian were forgotten. But theres a lot of example of the same futil bravery, even in modern history. I remenber the triple alliance war. 

Im am argentine and that was our shame moment in history. in XIX century Brasil, Uruguay and Argentina break down Paraguay couse mainly they wont agree to deal whit England. So England push us and we almost destroy them. They didnt accept total surrender and they daid whit his president Solano Lopez in the last desperate battle at cerro cor�. It only survive 5000 adult male paraguayans in a population of millions. At the end of the war every paraguayans male can married whit 14 wife to re-poblate the country. Im not very familiar whit the war, but we act like mercenarys or dogs.

Well sorry Paraguay, 130 years later. the people of argentina sorry.

Originally posted by Yiannis But Thermopylae was immortalized in history because of the self-sacrifice of the Spartans & Thespians. Americans usually compare it with Alamo

Lets see�.� A super power trying to �help� some people from a smaller country change their government and take power. The bigger country hoping that once in place, the new rulers in the smaller country would be better for the interests of the bigger country.  Obviously some of the folks in the smaller country consider the people helping the super power traitor and decide to fight to death.

What does this situation remind me of�.. Ahhhha !  The  Alamo, of course 

Originally posted by Yiannis You're right about people forgetting Platea. I mean it was the biggest (in numbers) battle. The Greeks were never before (or after) able to present on the battleground an 100,000 strong army from all over Greece. Mardonious 250,000 strong army was anihilated and very few managed to return to Asia.

Make that about 150,000 Persians and about 50,000 Greeks - it was logistically impossible for the Greeks, or Persians, to present such a number of men on the battlefield - especially the Persians.  The hundred thousand man mark is much more plausable.

since the Persian were supplied by Thessaly and Macedonia

Ooops, totally slipped my mind - I was thinking bringing in supplies from Anatolia.  My mistake.

Originally posted by Miller Comparing Thermopylae and The Alamo is comparing apples and oranges

And as the father of the bride said in "My big fat Greek wedding": "some of us are apples and some oranges, but despite of our differences, in the end we're all fruit"  

Here's a list of the most desicive battles in History taken from Wikipedia:

The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World is a book written by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy and published in 1851. This book tells the story of the fifteen military engagements (from Marathon to Waterloo) which had a significant impact on world history. The battles that Creasy selected were:


The Spanish ArmadaBattle of Marathon, 490 BC
Defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse, 413 BC
Battle of Arbela, 331 BC
Battle of the Metaurus, 207 BC
Victory of Arminius over the Roman Legions under Varus, 9 AD
Battle of Chalons, 451
Battle of Tours, 732
Battle of Hastings, 1066
Joan of Arc's Victory over the English at Orl�ans, 1429
Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588
Battle of Blenheim, 1704
Battle of Pultowa, 1709
Victory of the Americans over Burgoyne at Saratoga, 1777
Battle of Valmy, 1792
Battle of Waterloo, 1815
Some of Creasy's choices are decidedly dated, and are no longer taken as seriously as formerly. Other historians have attempted to modify or add to the list. In 1930 Texas historian Clarence Wharton published San Jacinto: The Sixteenth Decisive Battle, in which he made the case for adding the final battle of the Texas Revolution to Creasy's list.

source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifteen_Decisive_Battles_of _the_World