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Statue of Leonidas
The entrance of the church
Inside the modern Olive MuseumA History lesson
"Ìïëþí ëáâÝ"
Herodotus reports that Xerxes I of Persia intended to conquer Greece in order to dominate the entire known world. The Thermopylae was a narrow pass, the last obstacle before arriving to Athens. Although the Persian army was much larger than the Greek one, the Spartans did not accept the offer of Xerxes to surrender, lay down their weapons and spare their lives. The famous sentence “Ìïëþí ëáâÝ”, come and take them, has its origin here, on the beginning of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC). Leonidas I of Sparta and his warriors would never surrender. Instead, the Spartans fought till death for three days. Although they were finally defeated, they caused serious damage to the Persian forces. The delay of the Persian army provided the Athenians time for preparing the Battles of Salamis and Plataea, where Persians were defeated. Not only did they mean the victory over the Persians and the end of their expansion, but also the victory of freedom over tyranny.
There is no much to see at the Akropolis of Sparta. Many of the stones from the ruined buildings were used in the Middle Ages to build the city of Mystras, not far away. Anyway, it is an interesting place to visit for anyone that has read the history of Sparta, Leonidas and the 300.
