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Coiuld the Spartans have won at Thermopylae?

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Eliza6Beth (U2637732) on Monday, 26th December 2005

  Had the Spartans not been betrayed at Thermopylae - that guy (can't remember name) who told the Persians about the pass over the hills so they could come round the rear of the Spartans - could the Spartans have won? I mean, what would have happened without the treacherous encirclement?
  
  Thanks - Eliza.

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  Posted by Coeur_de_Lion (U2789688) on Monday, 26th December 2005

  yes they could have, the persians wouldn't have been able to destroy the spartan line for many reasons, the most obvious being that the spartans were far superior warriors overall,and had a frighteningly massive advantage in the Greek landscape. the persians were army was built to NOT grind down an enemy in a small landscape, but fight over a wide landscape, and tire the enemy, in short they were lighlty armored fighters. The spartans, on the other hand, were a heavy grinding machine, and in a small space could easily destroy lightly armored opposition. There was no chance of the persian fleet making any headway, as again, the Greek fleet was skilfully superior

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  Posted by Eliza6Beth (U2637732) on Monday, 26th December 2005

  interesting - so, what would have happened next, do you think?
  
  Eliza.

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  Posted by Elistan (U1872011) on Tuesday, 27th December 2005

  Eliza,
  
  Despite the accuracy of Coeur's statement of the two types of warriors involved Leonidas force would have to had succumbed sooner or later, from fatigue if nothing else. The question is how much longer could they have held out, and what the repurcussions for the rest of the conflict. It is conceivable that Persians casualties could have been significant enough, and sufficient time gained, for Athens to have pervented her sacking by an allied defence, instead of fleeing to salamis. Longer term its a interesting point, for would the Persians have come back if the first defeat had been more significant? and have happen earlier in the campaign?
  
  Elistan

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  Posted by Turnwrest (U2188092) on Wednesday, 28th December 2005

  I agree that the Spartans couldn't win that battle against those odds. The Athenians might, perhaps, have tried to hold the city, and that could have been a disaster for them and their allies. I doubt if the Persians would have just upped and gone away - after all, Salamis didn't stop them, they came back again and had to be defeated (fairly finally) at Platea. That's the critical (and usually overlooked) battle in the whole campaign.

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  Posted by Eliza6Beth (U2637732) on Wednesday, 28th December 2005

  Yes, I remember hearing somewhere that Thermopylae, though very brave and memorable, was really a bit of a waste of time (and lives) as winning or losing it didn't really impact the final result of the war.
  
  Eliza

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  Posted by lolbeeble (U1662865) on Wednesday, 28th December 2005

  Well you say that but given that Sparta was supposed to be leading the Pan Hellenic alliance, 300 Hoplites outside the Pelloponese was not exactly showing commitmment to her allies further North. Leonidas not only rescued Spartan reputation but enhanced it through his sacrafice having sent away the majority of the forces stationed in the pass at Thermopolae once the encirclement was spotted. Arguably this was a holding action to allow for the evacuation of the rest of the confederate forces outside the Pelloponese.

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