“Beyond Glory and Guts: Unveiling the Untold Secrets of the Spartan 300”
So why was Thermopylae, specifically the middle gate, chosen to make stand? Thermopylae was a narrow path with the mountains on one side and the sea on another. The middle gate was wider than the path in front of it and behind it, but the slopes of the mountain were easier to climb next to the middle gate than at either point. There was another path that led behind the contingent, but Leonidas blocked it with warriors native to the region to keep the Persians from flanking him. The Greeks also camped for a time and rebuilt an ancient wall to support themselves further.
This all set the stage for two battles that happened simultaneously to the point of being called twin battles- the more famous Thermopylae on land, and the lesser talked about Artemision in the water. The purpose of the fleet in Artemision was to keep the Persian fleet from landing behind Thermopylae and attacking the Greeks. King Leonidas led the stand at Thermopylae while a man by the name of Eurybiades led the fleet, with the assistance of a much more experienced naval commander Themistocles. As to why Themistocles wasn’t leading this one officially, this was simply because the rest of the banded city-states didn’t want an Athenian leading them.
For his battle, Leonidas chose three hundred soldiers who had sons who could replace them if they were killed, and after a religious festival, set out for Thermopylae. But this, contrary to what is depicted, was not all he brought. Leonidas’ actual number of soldiers was in the ballpark of 8000 warriors. Again, the Dwellers-Around and Helots and the like vastly outnumbered the Spartans, despite in popular history the Spartan warriors getting all the credit. As for Eurybiades, for his supporting fight, he was at the head of 271 ships.
