Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

I mean, the story is essentially that Xerxes tries to find a way to break through this position, which is very difficult. Geographically, it's very strong, right? So any army could hold this against any other army indefinitely, unless there is some way to get around the position, essentially to outflank it.

I mean, the story is essentially that Xerxes tries to find a way to break through this position, which is very difficult. Geographically, it's very strong, right? So any army could hold this against any other army indefinitely, unless there is some way to get around the position, essentially to outflank it.

I mean, the story is essentially that Xerxes tries to find a way to break through this position, which is very difficult. Geographically, it's very strong, right? So any army could hold this against any other army indefinitely, unless there is some way to get around the position, essentially to outflank it.

And so I'm very tempted by Geoffrey Robb's theory that essentially Xerxes understood this very early on. He has Thessalians in his army by this point who have recently fought the Phocians on the other side of the pass. So they have had to cross this position, which had been fortified by the Phocians, and so they had found the ways around it.

And so I'm very tempted by Geoffrey Robb's theory that essentially Xerxes understood this very early on. He has Thessalians in his army by this point who have recently fought the Phocians on the other side of the pass. So they have had to cross this position, which had been fortified by the Phocians, and so they had found the ways around it.

And so I'm very tempted by Geoffrey Robb's theory that essentially Xerxes understood this very early on. He has Thessalians in his army by this point who have recently fought the Phocians on the other side of the pass. So they have had to cross this position, which had been fortified by the Phocians, and so they had found the ways around it.

So they knew this, and they were in his army, so there's no reason why he wouldn't have talked to them and said, like, look, how do you solve this issue?

So they knew this, and they were in his army, so there's no reason why he wouldn't have talked to them and said, like, look, how do you solve this issue?

So they knew this, and they were in his army, so there's no reason why he wouldn't have talked to them and said, like, look, how do you solve this issue?

That's right. So the Phocians are the people who actually have Thermopylae the Pass in their territory, essentially. So that is part of their territory. It is the boundary of their territory, which they have defended against the Thessalians in the recent conflict. And so the Thessalians got around it, and they would be in a position to inform Xerxes about this.

That's right. So the Phocians are the people who actually have Thermopylae the Pass in their territory, essentially. So that is part of their territory. It is the boundary of their territory, which they have defended against the Thessalians in the recent conflict. And so the Thessalians got around it, and they would be in a position to inform Xerxes about this.

That's right. So the Phocians are the people who actually have Thermopylae the Pass in their territory, essentially. So that is part of their territory. It is the boundary of their territory, which they have defended against the Thessalians in the recent conflict. And so the Thessalians got around it, and they would be in a position to inform Xerxes about this.

At the same time, he's doing the same thing with his fleet. He's sending a chunk of his fleet, 200 ships, around Euboea to try and outflank the allied fleet, which is in the Straits. So that's quite a long journey. It takes several days. And so the land army isn't attacking while they're waiting for that chunk of the fleet to get into position. So for four days, they do nothing.

At the same time, he's doing the same thing with his fleet. He's sending a chunk of his fleet, 200 ships, around Euboea to try and outflank the allied fleet, which is in the Straits. So that's quite a long journey. It takes several days. And so the land army isn't attacking while they're waiting for that chunk of the fleet to get into position. So for four days, they do nothing.

At the same time, he's doing the same thing with his fleet. He's sending a chunk of his fleet, 200 ships, around Euboea to try and outflank the allied fleet, which is in the Straits. So that's quite a long journey. It takes several days. And so the land army isn't attacking while they're waiting for that chunk of the fleet to get into position. So for four days, they do nothing.

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.