On 19 August 480 BC, at Thermopylae, a small force of Spartans, Thespians, and Thebans, led by King Leonidas, held off Xerxes’ massive Persian army for three days.

When the Persians demanded they surrender their weapons, Leonidas replied with the legendary words, “Molon Labe”—“Come and get them.” Even the elite Persian Immortals failed to breach the Greek defense until betrayal revealed a hidden path.

Despite their defeat, the courage of the Spartans became immortalized in history. Simonides of Ceos commemorated their valor with a moving epitaph, honoring their sacrifice as a symbol of Greek unity and resistance.