Who betrayed the Spartans?

The historical Ephialtes of Trachis, whose name is synonymous in Greek with "nightmare," was a Malian Greek who betrayed the Spartans for Persian gold, showing them a secret path in the mountains through which a contingent of archers were able to flank and ultimately destroy the Spartans.

Did the 300 Spartans get betrayed?

In the Battle of Thermopylae Leonidas and his brave 300 were the heroes — and Ephialtes of Trachis, the vile traitor who betrayed the Spartan army, served as the villain.

How did Sparta get betrayed?

Ephialtes, a Greek citizen desiring reward, informed Xerxes of a path that went around Thermopylae, thus rendering the Greeks' line useless in preventing forward advancement of the Persian army. Xerxes took advantage of this betrayal and sent part of his army along this path, led by Ephialtes himself.

Who was Ephialtes and what did he do?

In the late 460s BC, he oversaw reforms that diminished the power of the Areopagus, a traditional bastion of conservatism, and which are considered by many modern historians to mark the beginning of the radical democracy for which Athens would become famous.

Was Ephialtes really a hunchback?

His parents fled Sparta in order to avoid him being killed. His father trained him in combat and taught him how to use a shield and a spear. Ephialtes was born deformed and a hunchback, thus lived alone most of his years, as Spartans often viewed such people as outcasts.

The Real Story of the 300 - Battle of Thermopylae

Why did Leonidas tell Ephialtes to live forever?

Leonidas gives him a blessing to live forever, which functions as an insult since a Spartan's greatest honor is to die in battle.

Who kills Ephialtes?

Aristotle says that, shortly after reforming the Court of the Areopagus, Ephialtes was kidnapped and murdered by Aristodicus of Tanagra (Aristot. Ath. Pol. 25.2; also Plut.

Why did Leonidas reject Ephialtes?

Ephialtes was a deformed hunchback in exile whose parents ran away from Sparta. Hoping to redeem his father's honor, he volunteered to Leonidas to join the army, but Ephialtes was too weak to raise his shield high enough so Leonidas rejected him.

What disease did Ephialtes have?

Ephialtes is an anxiety disorder identified as such by John Bond in 1753, along with other authors of those times, in his treatise "An Essay on the Incubus, or Nightmare". The famous Greek physician Galen in the 2nd century AD had already named nightmares "Ephialtes".

How were Otis and Ephialtes destroyed?

Otis and Ephialtes fought the Seven Heroes of Olympus in the final battle of the Second Gigantomachy, and were ultimately brought down and killed by the combined efforts of Percy Jackson and Poseidon, with the latter spraying the giant twins out of the Parthenon with a high-powered water blast from his trident.

Who was Sparta afraid of?

Owing to their own numerical inferiority, the Spartans were always preoccupied with the fear of a helot revolt. The ephors (Spartan magistrates) of each year on entering office declared war on the helots so that they might be murdered at any time without violating religious scruples.

Does the Spartan bloodline still exist?

The Maniots (inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula) therefore are considered direct descendants of Spartans. Almost three thousand years ago, Greece consisted of multiple 'polis' that were mostly controlled by Sparta. Spartans, as depicted in the 2006 movie 300, were highly trained fighters.

Who caused the fall of Sparta?

In 371 B.C., Sparta suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Thebans at the Battle of Leuctra.

Who took over Sparta after Leonidas died?

(Leonidas was approximately 60 years old when he died, and he was succeeded by his son, Pleistarchus.)

What did Leonidas say before he died?

No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight... and die.

Which Spartan survived 300?

Othryades (Ancient Greek: Ὀθρυάδης) and Othryadas (Ancient Greek: Ὀθρυάδας) was the last surviving Spartan of the 300 Spartans selected to fight against 300 Argives in the Battle of the 300 Champions.

Who killed Otis and Ephialtes?

The brothers died on the island of Naxos, when Artemis changed herself into a doe and jumped between them. The Aloadae, not wanting her to get away, threw their spears and simultaneously killed each other.

What did they do to Leonidas body?

Leonidas and the 300 Spartans with him were all killed, along with most of their remaining allies. The Persians found and beheaded Leonidas' corpse–an act that was considered to be a grave insult.

What happened to sick babies in Sparta?

If a Spartan baby was judged to be unfit for its future duty as a soldier, it was most likely abandoned on a nearby hillside. Left alone, the child would either die of exposure or be rescued and adopted by strangers. Babies who passed inspection still didn't have it easy.

Who was the real Ephialtes?

The historical Ephialtes of Trachis, whose name is synonymous in Greek with "nightmare," was a Malian Greek who betrayed the Spartans for Persian gold, showing them a secret path in the mountains through which a contingent of archers were able to flank and ultimately destroy the Spartans.

Who was Leonidas best friend in 300?

Dienekes is portrayed by Michael Fassbender in the film 300 (2007) as Stelios. He appears in many scenes throughout the movie and gives his famous "fight in the shade" line. He is a close friend of King Leonidas as well as Astinos, is Captain Artemis's son and the Spartan warrior.

How long did the 300 Spartans last?

At Thermopylae in the late summer of 480 the Spartan king Leonidas held out for three days with a mere 300 hoplites against thousands upon thousands of the best of the Great King's troops. It has also been the site of several battles in antiquity besides this most famous one.

Did Leonidas marry his niece?

Leonidas married his niece, Gorgo, and became Sparta's king. Having been trained in the military school, agoge, King Leonidas was chosen as the military leader of the Spartans and other Greek soldiers against the Persian army, led by Xerxes, son of King Darius.

Were there black Spartans?

By the mid-19th century, the Black Spartans numbered between 1,000 and 6,000 women, about a third of the entire Dahomey army. Under King Gezo's rule, female troops lived in his compound and were kept well supplied with tobacco, alcohol and slaves–as many as 50 to each warrior.

What is Sparta called now?

Sparta (Greek: Σπάρτη Spárti [ˈsparti]) is a city and municipality in Laconia, Greece. It lies at the site of ancient Sparta. The municipality was merged with six nearby municipalities in 2011, for a total population (as of 2011) of 35,259, of whom 17,408 lived in the city.