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In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army in the pass of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks delayed the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I could pass. The Persians succeeded in defeating the Greeks but sustained heavy losses, disproportionate to those of the Greeks. A local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks, revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines. Dismissing the rest of the army, King Leonidas stayed behind with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers. Though they knew it meant their own deaths, they secured the retreat of the other Greek forces.
The performance of the defenders at the battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment and good use of terrain to maximise an army's potential, as well as a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds. The heroic sacrifice of the Spartans and the Thespians has captured the minds of many throughout the ages and has given birth to many cultural references as a result.
The monument was built to commemorate the battle at Thermopylae, and is located at the centre of the pass, where the final phase of the battle took place, as is attested by the accumulation at the foot of the hill of iron and bronze spearheads dated to the 5th century B.C. Members of the Amphiktyony erected on the hill a stone statue of a lion in memory of the deceased warriors, with an epigram written by Simonides, but the monument is not preserved today.
The monument stands opposite the historical hill of Kolonos and represents Leonidas in full armour. It was designed by B. Phalereus, and was erected in the 1950s at the expense of Greeks living in America.
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