position of battle within war
The battle of Thermopylae was relatively early in the second Greco-Persian War of the Classical period. It was in the year 480BCE, ten years after the end of the first Persian War was ended with the phenomenal defeat of the Persians by Athenians in the Battle of Marathon.
The second invasion of Greece began in Spring of 480BCE. The Persians marched overland before encountering Leonidas’ forces at the hot gates, Thermopylae, in early September of the year. Coincidentally, the time of this encounter was to coincide with the blockage of Persian ships wanting to land at Artemisium.
The second invasion of Greece began in Spring of 480BCE. The Persians marched overland before encountering Leonidas’ forces at the hot gates, Thermopylae, in early September of the year. Coincidentally, the time of this encounter was to coincide with the blockage of Persian ships wanting to land at Artemisium.
As we can see above, the Persian Army marched south to Thermopylae, as its navy neared the coasts of Artemisium. The foreign force had landed north of the pass and marched hundreds of miles along the coastline south, conquering Polises as it went.