From the third day of our Athens holiday - 15th February, 2023.
As if we hadn’t had enough for one day we stopped again for a few minutes to look at this monument which is situated, you may say, in the middle of nowhere, far away from inhabited areas. This is Leonida’s Monument and is situated in Thrmopylae and a very fertile plain which covers thousands of acres of arable land.
The site made me curiou, so I searched the web for some information on the monument and was rewarded with some interesting information. Mainly, that this small monument commemorates the battle in 480 B.C. in which a small band of Spartan soldiers held off a huge Persian army led by Xerxes I of Persia for three days. The delay was long enough to allow for the successful defense of Athens against the Persians. The bronze statue of Leonidas was erected at Thermopylae in 1955. A sign, under the statue, reads simply: "ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ" ("Come and take them"), which was Leonidas' laconic reply when Xerxes offered to spare the lives of the Spartans if they gave up their arms.
My main curiosity was why was the monument erected here and this is what I found out “The Leonidas Monument was built on the site where Leonidas’ body was cremated after he died during the battle against Xerxes I of Persia”.
Thank you very much for your looks, comments and fav's on yesterday's picture.
Great shots! I remember that story! They made a movie about it not so long ago. King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae - starring Gerard Butler (What a hunk!) Here's the trailer if you're interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrIbxk7idYA
Katharine