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EncyclopediaThermopylaeThermopylae (thurmop'ilē) [key][Gr.,=hot gates, from hot mineral springs nearby], pass, E central Greece, SE of Lamía, between the cliffs of Mt. Oeta and the Malic Gulf. Silt accumulation has gradually widened the once-narrow pass. In ancient times it was used as an entrance into Greece from the north. There in 480 B.C., Leonidas with his Spartans and their allies lost a heroic battle to the Persians under Xerxes I (see Persian Wars). At the pass in 279 B.C., the Greeks held back the Gauls under Brennus, who ultimately broke through, and, in 191 B.C., Antiochus III of Syria was defeated there by the Romans. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. More on Thermopylae from Infoplease:
- Ancient History - Ancient History Before Christ (B.C.) or Before the Common Era (B.C.E.) 4.5 billion – 1B.C. ...
- Oeta - Oeta Oeta , Gr. Oiti, mountain range, central Greece, stretching c.15 mi (25 km) W from Thermopylae ...
- Thespiae - Thespiae Thespiae , ancient city of Greece, in S Boeotia, near Mt. Helicon (now Elikón) and ...
- Brennus, d. 279 B.C., Gallic leader - Brennus Brennus, d. 279 B.C., Gallic leader. He was in command of the band of Gauls (or Galatians) ...
- Leonidas - Leonidas Leonidas , d. 480 B.C., king of Sparta. He succeeded (c.491 B.C.) his half brother, ...
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