Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

According to Herodotus, they're kind of waiting for the Spartans to just kind of melt away in fear. That doesn't happen. So on the fifth day, they actually do have to attack. But that is... And in the story that we get, it's sort of this very huge sort of land battle, that utter carnage when they try to dislodge the Spartans from the past by throwing everything in the kitchen sink at them.

According to Herodotus, they're kind of waiting for the Spartans to just kind of melt away in fear. That doesn't happen. So on the fifth day, they actually do have to attack. But that is... And in the story that we get, it's sort of this very huge sort of land battle, that utter carnage when they try to dislodge the Spartans from the past by throwing everything in the kitchen sink at them.

According to Herodotus, they're kind of waiting for the Spartans to just kind of melt away in fear. That doesn't happen. So on the fifth day, they actually do have to attack. But that is... And in the story that we get, it's sort of this very huge sort of land battle, that utter carnage when they try to dislodge the Spartans from the past by throwing everything in the kitchen sink at them.

And it just doesn't get anywhere. And everybody's getting sort of destroyed by their thousands by this immovable Spartan line. But we have to bear in mind that we just got told by Herodotus that this is a fortified pass.

And it just doesn't get anywhere. And everybody's getting sort of destroyed by their thousands by this immovable Spartan line. But we have to bear in mind that we just got told by Herodotus that this is a fortified pass.

And it just doesn't get anywhere. And everybody's getting sort of destroyed by their thousands by this immovable Spartan line. But we have to bear in mind that we just got told by Herodotus that this is a fortified pass.

So they're defending a wall, which makes it on the one hand very easy to defend, but it also, on the other hand, makes it very easy for the attacker to avoid casualties by just keeping their distance and just sort of probing that defense of seeing how close they can get, seeing how far they can get with missiles before they actually commit to an all-out assault.

So they're defending a wall, which makes it on the one hand very easy to defend, but it also, on the other hand, makes it very easy for the attacker to avoid casualties by just keeping their distance and just sort of probing that defense of seeing how close they can get, seeing how far they can get with missiles before they actually commit to an all-out assault.

So they're defending a wall, which makes it on the one hand very easy to defend, but it also, on the other hand, makes it very easy for the attacker to avoid casualties by just keeping their distance and just sort of probing that defense of seeing how close they can get, seeing how far they can get with missiles before they actually commit to an all-out assault.

It's also a narrow path, so you can't really commit that many. You can't really lose that many. It's really hard to actually... get much out of the Persian numbers, which is exactly why the Greeks decide to defend that position.

It's also a narrow path, so you can't really commit that many. You can't really lose that many. It's really hard to actually... get much out of the Persian numbers, which is exactly why the Greeks decide to defend that position.

It's also a narrow path, so you can't really commit that many. You can't really lose that many. It's really hard to actually... get much out of the Persian numbers, which is exactly why the Greeks decide to defend that position.

But it also means that Xerxes can afford to essentially keep those Spartans and their allies locked in position while he's figuring out how to deal with this strategic problem. What supposedly happens is the first day the Medes attack, they don't get anywhere. This is one of the larger Iranian peoples that the Persians rule over.

But it also means that Xerxes can afford to essentially keep those Spartans and their allies locked in position while he's figuring out how to deal with this strategic problem. What supposedly happens is the first day the Medes attack, they don't get anywhere. This is one of the larger Iranian peoples that the Persians rule over.

But it also means that Xerxes can afford to essentially keep those Spartans and their allies locked in position while he's figuring out how to deal with this strategic problem. What supposedly happens is the first day the Medes attack, they don't get anywhere. This is one of the larger Iranian peoples that the Persians rule over.

Then the Persians themselves have a go in the form of the immortals they attack. They also don't get anywhere against the pass. Obviously, the Greeks at this point are like, yeah, we're winning. The Persians are probably thinking, you know, you're still there. Okay, good. That means we still have an opportunity to defeat you.

Then the Persians themselves have a go in the form of the immortals they attack. They also don't get anywhere against the pass. Obviously, the Greeks at this point are like, yeah, we're winning. The Persians are probably thinking, you know, you're still there. Okay, good. That means we still have an opportunity to defeat you.

Then the Persians themselves have a go in the form of the immortals they attack. They also don't get anywhere against the pass. Obviously, the Greeks at this point are like, yeah, we're winning. The Persians are probably thinking, you know, you're still there. Okay, good. That means we still have an opportunity to defeat you.

They're not committing in any sense an all-out attack by their army because firstly, the they are still trying to figure out how to get around this, right? How to dislodge the Greeks rather than just sort of trying to frontally bash their heads against the wall.

They're not committing in any sense an all-out attack by their army because firstly, the they are still trying to figure out how to get around this, right? How to dislodge the Greeks rather than just sort of trying to frontally bash their heads against the wall.